The Blacklegged Tick aka Deer Tick

If you’re a resident of the Northeastern U.S., you’ve certainly heard about Lyme disease that is spread by the bite of an infected tick. You probably also know that the Northeast has always been ground zero for the disease. It was first identified in Connecticut in 1975. For decades, Connecticut has been the highest risk region for Lyme disease. Now, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control has determined that Massachusetts and New Hampshire are high risk zones as well.

Most U.S. cases of Lyme disease still occur in the Northeastern and upper Midwestern states. In 2013, 14 states accounted for 95% of all confirmed cases of Lyme disease. What’s changed is that even more areas within these states are now considered high risk for catching the disease. Ten years ago, there were 130 U.S. counties where the risk of catching Lyme disease was at least twice the national average. Now, there are 260 counties that fall into that category.

This Disease Isn’t Going Away

Besides the entire state of Connecticut, 17 other states have high-risk counties, including nearly all of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and more than half of the counties in Maine and Vermont. Lyme disease high-risk areas have also expanded into Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York along the eastern seaboard, and into Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota in the Midwest.

It’s Up to You to Protect Yourself

Here in the Northeast, most of us know somebody who has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, and maybe know someone who has suffered serious, long-term complications as a result. Prevention of Lyme disease depends on prevention of tick bites. Protect your family with diligence, use of insect repellents, body checks for ticks, rodent control, and yard management and pesticide zone applications to prevent ticks.

Colonial Pest Has Answers For All of Your Tick Questions

1. Personal Protection –

• Protecting Your Family From Ticks – Advice From the Pros
• Do Insect Repellents Work Against Ticks?
• How to Remove an Attached Tick

2. Pet Protection –

• How to Protect Your Pet From Ticks
• Protect Your Dog From Ticks and Lyme Disease

3. Yard Management –

• How to Keep Ticks Out of Your Yard
• Creating a Tick-Free Zone in Your Yard – Advice From the Pros
• What Do Mice in My Yard Have to Do with Lyme Disease?

Photo credit: wackybadger / Foter / CC BY-SA