Are North Shore Mass Residents Really At Risk For Tick Diseases?

As a resident of North Shore, you have probably read a number of stories on taking precautions to prevent Lyme Disease. After being outdoors and returning inside, checking for ticks should be a routine for everyone. Ticks are a serious health risk on the North Shore.

A recent story in the Daily News on www.newburyportnews.com titled, Prevention: best way to avoid Lyme disease, mentioned how bad the Lyme Disease issue has become. The story points out that 15% of all Lyme Disease cases in the US occur in Massachusetts. With over 3,300 confirmed cases, we rank high in the number of Lyme Disease cases with states in the Northeast.

It’s easy to grow complacent hearing the same information and statistics repeatedly about the same subject. It’s also easy to lapse into a casual posture when it comes to continuing to apply safe practices in avoiding tick bites. Perhaps some additional information on the tick-borne infections we risk exposure to every day, will help.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently posted a map (shown on the right) of just 4 of the nearly one dozen tick-borne diseases present in the United States. Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and Ehrlichiosis were included. Some of these you may not have heard of, but what’s important is that you know the 4 tick-borne infections on the map here all exist in our state.

You can see from the density of the color on each map the rate of infections. Massachusetts is, unfortunately, well represented.

Tularemia is another tick-borne disease in our state. From 2003-2012, Massachusetts had 7% of the Tularemia infections in the US.

Let tick prevention and safety become a routine part of your life here on the North Shore. It’s important for your health and the health of your family. The time lost from an infection, cost of treatment and potential debilitating side effects for months or even years afterward makes staying aware of the risk worth the effort.

When considering your protection from ticks, think about where you, your family and your pets spend the most time outdoors. For most of us, that is our back yard. Whether reading a book, lying in a hammock, entertaining friends or “grillin’ and chillin’” our back yard is our most frequented spot during the summer months. Mosquito Squad of the North Shore’s barrier treatment and tick tubes will reduce your tick and mosquito exposure by eliminating 85-90% of the ticks in your yard. As the newburyportnews.com post states: “prevention is the best way to reduce your risk of contracting tick-borne infections.”

To learn more about our highly effective tick tube program and barrier sprays, contact Mosquito Squad of the North Shore.