Lyme disease is rapidly emerging in southern Appalachia, the CDC said in a new report. In 2025, Dr. Jon LaPook, on assignment for 60 Minutes, who are using genetic engineering to fight the spread of the disease. “The natural disaster in our area is not hurricanes, or tornadoes, or earthquakes; it is Lyme disease,” said MIT associate professor and pioneer in genetic engineering Kevin Esvelt, describing the severity of the tick-borne illness in the Northeast. On Nantucket, Massachusetts, 15% of residents have been afflicted with the disease, which can cause fever, rash, facial paralysis, an irregular heartbeat, and arthritis. #lymedisease #lyme #ticks