Ticks and Lyme Disease

                                                                      

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of Lyme disease cases in Massachusetts.  This year will be particularly bad because of the mild winter we had.  Lyme disease is the most common of tick-borne diseases in the U.S. and is transmitted by a tiny tick carried by the whitetail deer.  There are ways of preventing Lyme disease.  Using insect repellent like DEET and removing ticks immediately reduces the chance of getting the disease.  For more information on Lyme disease and prevention see the MA Public Health Fact Sheet at www.mass.gov

Also see UMASS at www.extension.umass.edu/agriculture/index.php/services/ which  has excellent information on ticks and Lyme disease.  The EPA and CDC also are good resources, www.CDC.gov and www.epa.gov.  The New York State Department of Health provides the instructions below on how to remove a tick from your skin.