Ticks don’t respect social distancing.

With our hospitals stretched to the limits caring for Coronavirus victims, our healthcare professionals are not equipped to respond to the inevitable seasonal tick bite occurrences. Now is the time to prepare and plan – deer ticks are already out, and they’re right in your own backyard.

Not only are ticks disgusting, but also a serious health threat as well. Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are either endemic (established) or emerging in many parts of the United States and Canada.

Although the Northeast and upper Midwest are hotbeds for Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative disease agent for tick-transmitted Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis babesiosis and other pathogens are also prevalent in Maine as well as a growing number of states in the U.S.

Senior citizens ages 65+ have the highest incidence of Lyme disease, followed closely by children ages 5-14. And don’t forget about your pets – companion animals are sentinels for ticks as well.

Remember, if pets are picking up ticks, humans are more likely to encounter them as well.

Consider these tips to better protect your family and pets this year:

Personal Protection Strategies:

• Identify and avoid tick habitat
• Understand the life cycle of the deer tick
• Modify your landscape
• Dress appropriately
• Utilized skin-based repellents on exposed skin
• Utilize permethrin spray on outdoor clothing, shoes and socks
• Perform multiple tick checks daily
• Promptly identify and properly remove attached ticks

Landscape Modifications:

• Keep your lawn mowed
• Let the sunshine in. Sunny areas are less apt to harbor ticks
• Keep children’s play areas away from the wooded edge
• Remove leaf litter and brush from your property and perimeter
• Move bird feeders and wood piles away from your home
• Check with your veterinarian on ways to protect your animals
• These helpful tips are available on our bookmarks available for distribution in your community.

This spring, more than ever before, you owe it to yourself and your family to be more prepared than surprised! Prevention is the BEST Prescription!