Lyme Disease Hot Spots In Connecticut
Posted on May 29 2019
(WTNH) - The Connecticut Experimental Agricultural Station (CEAS) has done a lot of research studying the tick population and the hot zones for Lyme disease, and they just released a map.
Red indicates the hot zones, the orange & yellow mean moderate, and with the shades of blue, you're not 'out of the woods' safe, but there's less Lyme disease there.
Goudarz Malaei is a research scientist at CEAS. Molaei said, "In 2018, we had the infection rate was higher and this year, we already have about 40 something percent of ticks infected with Lyme Disease."
News 8 spoke to doctors at Connecticut Children's Medical Center who say Lyme disease is very tricky. It's the small deer tick that's hard to see that gives you the disease when it bites you.
Doctors say you'll see a red rash or bullseye and that's when you need to get to the doctor. Initially, you'll feel flu-like symptoms with chills and fever, but if left untreated it can get pretty nasty in your bloodstream.
Dr. Nicholas Bennet from the Connecticut Children's Medical Center said it can affect your heart rate and even slow it down.
"You can get facial nerve palsy and it can affect other nerves, it can give you crazy wicked headaches, and if it's not treated long enough it can develop into chronic relapsing arthritis," Dr. Bennet said.
CEAS Researcher Eliza Little encourages those who live in red zones to send them any ticks they find for testing.
"It would be great if people from Windham and Tolland counties would send us their ticks because we need to know more," Little said.
To protect yourself, tuck your socks into your pants, wear DEET or mosquito repellent, and check yourself for ticks after being out in the woods.
Story re-posted from News 8, Bob Wilson.
