There I was, morning mug of coffee and the newspaper. Enjoy some quiet before the day started. I turned the page and there it was – another article about ticks. I shuttered and as I read the article, I was informed that I am basically doomed. My hatred of those little disease-filled creepy crawlies has been chronicled twice before (1 and 2) but this brought it to a whole new level: babesiosis. And apparently its on track to rival Lyme disease in the tick-borne illness category. *Shutters* This is what did me in. Jane Brody writes: It has been said that Lyme disease moves on the wings of birds, which some experts believe carry the bacteria causing the condition. Babesiosis, however, moves on the backs of mice and deer. Birds do not...
A few weeks ago, I blogged about getting bit by a deer tick and the increase in the sheer number of them across the State. Last week, the BDN ran an article about the increase in illness here in Maine due to those horrible bugs. Here are some scary take aways if you live here: * Lyme sickened about 1,000 Mainers in 2011 and more than 180 so far this year * The deer tick can transmit Lyme, anaplasmosis and babesiosis. * The dog tick can carry Lyme but doesn’t transmit it * On average, 50 percent of Maine deer ticks carry disease * Ticks are less of a problem in northern counties of Maine and at higher elevations...
