Are Tick-Borne Illnesses On The Rise In Massachusetts?

As much as we dislike hearing about it, we now live in an era dominated by news about illnesses and disease. Unfortunately, this is our new reality, and it hasn’t been getting any easier. In addition to the pandemic we’ve attempted to navigate, tick-borne diseases are on the rise. Lyme disease is one of these, and it has infected more and more people each year. As a Massachusetts resident, it is important to take preventative measures that keep ticks away from you and your family.

Tick-borne illnesses are real threats to Massachusetts residents.

Each year we are exposed to seasonal illnesses, and each year we have the opportunity to get vaccinated against many of them. However, there are many diseases against which we don’t have protection. Ticks are known carriers of disease, and while transmission of these diseases used to be rare, infections are becoming more frequent each year. There are lots of reasons for tick populations increasing. The chief culprit, however, is a dramatic shift in the habitable regions these arachnids call home. Ticks are located all over the country, but warmer winters have allowed them to spread northward and extend their typical breeding seasons. Unfortunately, we are nowhere close to winning our fight against ticks, but there are individual steps you can take to limit your exposure to them.

Tick-borne illnesses are on the rise. Here’s why.

More recently, tick-borne illnesses have risen for a different reason. COVID-19 has encouraged us to spend more time outside to limit our exposure to each other, but this practice has, ironically, increased our exposure to the ticks that call yards, woods, and parks home. As you might already know, ticks are very resilient creatures, and they can live in many different environments where they can happen upon a blood meal. Ticks are indiscriminate parasites – they will latch onto any animal – but humans are increasingly targeted due to above-average numbers of people spending time outside. In combination with the exploding tick populations in Massachusetts, this is a recipe for disaster.

What tick-borne illnesses should you be worried about in Massachusetts?

Ticks are not benevolent insects. In addition to being a parasite, which is bad enough, they are excellent distributors of nasty diseases. Ticks are best known for their transmission of Lyme disease, which often goes undiagnosed and can cause serious damage to your joints, nerves, and organs if left untreated. Three other tick-borne diseases are responsible for many other severe infections, including Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, and Powassan. Each has severe risks when undiagnosed – in particular, Powassan is known to cause swelling on the brain, meningitis, and even seizures. While each of these diseases is treatable, there are many instances of tick-borne diseases having after-effects that can remain for many months after being cured. For this reason, preventative measures are vitally important. Neither you nor your family deserves to be inflicted with a disease that can last for months, so take the necessary steps to defend against the growing tick population.

Central Massachusetts tick control is an essential ingredient to your family’s health and happiness.

Since tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Massachusetts, it might seem like there’s nothing you can do to defend against these diseases, but this isn’t true! Mosquito Squad offers tick treatments proven to reduce the tick population on your property. Border protection mist is our most popular treatment, and it initially acts as a pesticide before turning into a repellent after three weeks. This way, you have protection for a full three weeks before needing a reapplication. Our naturalborder protection mist is not quite as potent, but it offers an environmentally friendly method of tick control that is still very effective. Finally, we offer tick tubes, our year-round tick control treatment. Tick tubes are biodegradable tubes filled with cotton that has been treated with a tick pesticide. Mice use this cotton in their nests, and while the pesticide isn’t harmful to these small mammals, the ticks that like to snack on mice in the winter will meet their doom. Mice are known carriers of Lyme disease, so if you can remove the ticks that are exposed to Lyme disease, you reduce your risk of exposure to it!

For year-round tick protection, employ the tick control experts at Mosquito Squad of Leominster. Call us today at (978) 321-2670.