Is Lyme Disease Common in Long Island?

Over the past couple years, most of the media’s attention has been occupied by the ongoing pandemic and the waves of anxiety that result from the discovery of new COVID-19 variants. Despite the good intentions of your local news outlets, such news coverage has saturated our available attention with virus news, but there are other diseases that require our observation. As you probably know, ticks are not only a nuisance, but also a serious threat to human health as a disease vector. Lyme disease, the main illness transmitted by ticks, was only discovered in 1982, and we still have difficulty identifying the disease in patients. Unlike the COVID-19 vaccine’s rapid development, a Lyme disease vaccine still seems to be well down the road, meaning preventative measure are more important than ever. You’re probably wondering, “Why do I need to be concerned about Lyme disease? I thought it was rare!” To our detriment, Lyme disease is becoming more prevalent throughout the Northeast, including in Long Island. And, a study conducted in the past year indicates that we are at a much higher risk of encountering an infected tick than previously thought.

Why you should consider Stony Brook tick control

To assess the risk of Lyme disease to our communities, scientists take samples of local tick populations to estimate what percentage of ticks carry Lyme disease in the area. While the disease would have showed up rarely 10 years ago, research indicates that around 56% of ticks on Long Island now carry Lyme disease. Such results are highly concerning, and they align with the growing number of infections in the nation, which has reached 476,000 cases per year. What makes this massive figure so disturbing (if it weren’t scary enough on its own) is that only one in ten Lyme diseases are correctly diagnosed, at least the first time around. So, the safe bet these days is to assume that the tick latched onto your leg is infected with Lyme disease. Even if you don’t discover a tick on you, staying aware of Lyme disease symptoms is highly important. *A welt that looks like a target is the most common sign you may have contracted the illness, but other symptoms include swollen joints, fever, headaches, and even forgetfulness. Make no mistake, a chronic Lyme disease infection can be highly dangerous, and you may experience effects in your nervous system.

Where to find Stony Brook tick control

The best way to avoid contracting Lyme disease is by reducing the chance of tick encounters, and Mosquito Squad has the tools to make such protection a reality. Using what is known as barrier protection treatment, which comes in our original and naturalformulas, we treat your yard’s perimeter and tick hot spots to dramatically reduce the tick population on your property. Furthermore, the mist is highly effective at keeping new ticks from entering your yard. For year-long defense, we also offer tick tubes, which use mice as a tool to help remove ticks from your yard.

Mosquito Squad of Long Island is at the cutting edge of tick control. Give us a call at (631) 203-1252.

*If you think you might have been bitten by a Lyme infected tick, seek immediate medical attention.