Six Things to Know About Ticks and Lyme Disease
Credit: Fairfax County, Flickr
By Colleen Shaddox, Connecticut Health I-Team
This year, 97 percent of blacklegged ticks — commonly known as deer ticks — survived the Connecticut winter, and are hungry for blood as temperatures warm.
These arachnids transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease and are likely thriving in your backyard, according to Connecticut Chief Entomologist Kirby Stafford.
About 3,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported in the state each year, the state Department of Public Health reports, but Stafford said that most cases aren’t reported. The true number is closer to 35,000, he estimated.