Tick Season Brings Uptick In Lyme Disease
Because of Maine’s mild winter and early spring, tick season in Vacationland will be more severe than in the past. Unfortunately, with the increase in the amount of ticks comes an increase in the amount of Lyme disease incidents. In 2008, there were 780 confirmed and 128 probable cases of Lyme disease in Maine.
Lyme disease was named in 1977 when several children in Lyme, Connecticut suffering from similar symptoms came down with an unidentified illness later found to be transmitted by deer ticks. Over 20 years later, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that there are nearly 29,000 cases of Lyme disease annually in the U.S., with the majority occurring in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions.
It is estimated that more than 75 percent of Lyme disease cases are contracted within 100 feet of the home and that 80 percent of Lyme disease cases occur between May and August.
Suburban sprawl has placed humans closer than ever to white-tailed deer, which are the primary host and main source of transportation for adult ticks. If deer are feeding on vegetation around your property, it is likely that a female tick has dropped off and lay up to 3,000 eggs in the brush. When young, ticks feed on small mammals such as mice and birds in the summer and early autumn. They then become dormant for the winter until the following spring when they feed and mate on larger animals such as deer. It is when they feed on rodents such as mice that they become infected with Lyme disease.
Despite the increased amount of ticks in Maine this summer, preventive measures can reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease.
- Wear full-length garments that are tight around the wrist, ankle, and neck. It is advised to tuck pant legs into socks or boot tops.
- Adults should check themselves and children immediately after going into the woods or brush. Ticks often crawl to warm, moist areas of the body such as the groin area, armpits, neck and scalp.
- Have pets wear repellent collars and stay out of tick infested areas.
- Keep brush and grass around your home cut short and clear outdoor areas of brush and leaf piles to minimize tick habitats.
- Treat exposed areas with a repellent to avoid getting Lyme disease.
If a tick is spotted on your body, it should be removed by grasping it close to the skin with tweezers or fingernails and pulling steadily. Pull upward with even pressure, careful to not twist or jerk the tick. If the tick brakes or is crushed, infectious parts and fluids may remain in the skin. Never handle ticks with bare hands as infectious agents may enter through mucous membranes or breaks in the skin, and always apply rubbing alcohol to the bite and wash hands afterwards with soap and water.
Known as the Pine Tree State, Maine is covered with many miles of wilderness. It is within this wilderness that resides the ever-present deer tick, but with the right precautions and the right knowledge, we can do our best to avoid ticks altogether and help prevent Lyme disease. And that alone that will make for a more enjoyable summer in and around Maine’s great outdoors.
For more information on Lyme disease and tick prevention please visit: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_prevent.htm.
