PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 1, 2023
After a slow start to the season, ticks are starting to reemerge in Maine and most of New England, attaching to hosts and spreading diseases, experts say. Maine set a record in 2022 for Lyme disease, which is spread by the deer tick, with 2,617 cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Other diseases transmitted by ticks, such as anaplasmosis and babesiosis, have also surged in recent years. To prevent ticks from attaching to you, avoid leaf litter, wear long pants and stay on paths when walking in the woods. Wear gloves when carrying firewood. Conduct tick checks if you’ve been in tick habitat. If you do get bitten by a tick, watch for signs of a bull’s-eye rash, fatigue, joint pain, fever and chills. If caught soon after transmission, tickborne diseases can be eradicated with a course of antibiotics.