The number of reported cases of Lyme disease in Nova Scotia is expected break records for the third year in a row, according to provinces’s department of health and wellness.

The data for 2017 requires further analysis before being released in a report, so the numbers can still change, but the department expects that the numbers will continue to follow the province’s upward trend.

Nova Scotia also offers “a good environment for tick populations to grow,” she said, referencing the climate, woodland areas and migrating birds acting as hosts.

The exact numeric increase has yet to be determined.

According to a 2012 report (PDF), the first cases in the province were identified in 2002; the number of cases between then and 2007 were all under 10 per year.

The department doesn’t have a forecast for numbers beyond 2017, Ryan said.

The number of estimated higher-risk Lyme disease areas in Nova Scotia more than doubled since last year, now encompassing about two-thirds of the province, according to the department. Now, only Cape Breton Island is classified as having a lower risk, and Guysborough County has a moderate risk.