The 2026 Lyme Disease Awareness Month theme is: Tick Free Zone
Maine CDC observes Lyme Disease Awareness Month during May each year. This is a time to encourage everyone to enjoy the outdoors while staying tick free.
On January 5, 2026, the Acting Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) signed a decision memorandum that reduced the number of immunizations routinely recommended for all children on the U.S. CDC Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.
Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. Some people are at higher risk of serious complications due to influenza. There are two main types of influenza viruses: A and B. The influenza A and B viruses that routinely spread in people (human influenza viruses) are responsible for seasonal epidemics each year.
RSV is a respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Healthy people typically recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious for infants or older adults. RSV is most common in the fall and winter months.
People with RSV usually show symptoms 4 to 6 days after getting infected. Common RSV symptoms include:
Pertussis is a respiratory illness commonly known as whooping cough and caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough can be very serious, especially in infants.
Whooping cough is a very contagious disease only found in humans and spreads easily from person-to-person. When a person with whooping cough sneezes or coughs, they release small particles with the bacteria in them. Other people can then breathe in the bacteria.
Please review this information and clinical guidance from the U.S. CDC on the Marburg outbreak caused by Marburg virus (Marburg marburgvirus) in Ethiopia’s South Ethiopia and Sidama regions. As of December 15, 2025, there are no known cases of Marburg in Maine or the United States and the risk to people in the United States is low.
Any patients in Maine with suspected Marburg must be reported immediately to the Maine CDC by phone at 1-800-821-5821.
The respiratory virus activity level categorizes the percentage of emergency department (ED) visits for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV into five activity levels. These activity levels are very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. This uses methodologies adopted from U.S. CDC's Level of Respiratory Illness Activity.
This dashboard is a resource for tracking and understanding the spread of respiratory viral illnesses in Maine, including influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). These graphs show recent viral activity and severity data for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV.
Maine Crisis Line 1-888-568-1112.
Call, text or chat support for individuals or families experiencing a behavioral health crisis or having thoughts of suicide and/or self-harm.
Free, confidential, 24/7 support for anyone needing support.
