Tick season is in full swing. Here's how to stay safe.
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TODAY'S STARTING POINT
The return of warm and sunny days in New England means spending more time outdoors. It also, unfortunately, means ticks — including those that play host to bacteria that cause Lyme disease,
the most common tick-borne illness in the US. The bacteria, which larval ticks pick up when they feed on infected rodents, can cause headache, joint pain, a telltale bullseye rash, and more serious symptoms in humans.
Lyme-transmitting ticks, known as black-legged or deer ticks, were once largely balkanized to coastal New England. (The disease is named for a Connecticut town where researchers in the 1970s first described it, although
Today's newsletter explains why ticks have become more widespread — and how to keep them from crawling all over you.
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A growing problem
Two factors have combined to produce ideal conditions for more Lyme-causing ticks to come into contact with more humans.
One is global warming. Climate change has kept the Northeast hotter and more humid for longer on average, stretching the ticks' active season from early spring into the late summer or early fall.
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'When I was starting to work on this back in the 1970s, 1980s, we really didn't see new cases until May,' said Dr. Allen Steere, a rheumatologist at Harvard Medical School who was among
The deer tick's moniker suggests the second factor behind its proliferation. Less hunting and fewer natural predators have caused New England's population of white-tailed deer — on whose backs the ticks breed —
Suburban sprawl, lawns that abut woods, and gardens with plants that deer see as tasty snacks have also invited more of them into spaces that humans frequent.
Staying safe
There's one surefire way to avoid getting Lyme: 'Don't get bitten,' says Thomas Mather, a University of Rhode Island tick expert.
Chemicals can lessen the chances. Rich, the UMass microbiologist, suggests getting your property treated with
There are sartorial solutions, too. If hiking, wear long pants and sleeves, tuck in your shirt, and tuck your pants inside your socks. Tight-fitting clothes, like leggings, offer ticks fewer points of entry. Shower after you come inside and do a tick check. 'They tend to get in the areas where your body forms a Y,' Rich said, like leg and arm joints.
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And don't forget about your pets! Ticks like to burrow behind dogs' and cats' ears and beneath their collars. If yours spend time outside, check them regularly and keep them up to date with flea and tick prevention.
Diagnosis and treatment
Suppose you spot a tick on you. What then?
Finding one crawling on you may be creepy, but good news: it probably hasn't bitten you yet. If it has, use tweezers to grasp the tick close to your skin
Different tick species carry different types of bacteria and viruses, so the next step if you've been bitten is to figure out what you're dealing with. Consult
How long the tick has been there also matters. Ticks swell as they feed on your blood, so if you suspect it has, consider sending it to a lab
In the northeast, about half of adult deer ticks carry germs that cause Lyme disease, so if you pull one of those off you, there's a good chance you've been exposed. Many cases of Lyme are mild and resolve quickly with the antibiotic doxycycline. But others can cause lasting fatigue, brain fog, or even brain inflammation and heart problems.
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Lyme can be hard to diagnose, and some patients experience
Of course, the best peace of mind comes from not getting bitten at all. 'I know patients who get Lyme disease and it is very debilitating,' said Shah, of the Mayo Clinic. 'It does take you out of commission.'
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POINTS OF INTEREST
A developer plans to build senior housing at an empty monastery next to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.
Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe
Boston
Forests and trees:
City officials and a developer are navigating how to turn a Jamaica Plain monastery into housing
Fond farewell:
Robert Pinsky, the former US Poet Laureate, is retiring from BU. He's
Massachusetts
Karen Read:
On day 7 of her retrial, Read's defense lawyer
Taking aim:
Gun-rights advocates have lodged legal challenges to state gun laws in hopes that a
Not so golden:
Economic inequality and the cost of living have left retiring residents
'No family should go through something like this':
A teen's catastrophic brain injury has exposed
Gold rush to red ink:
The state's cannabis industry is struggling
Trump administration
Kamala Harris:
In her first major speech since losing to Trump, the former vice president said that his tariffs 'as I predicted, are clearly inviting a recession.' (
Mineral deal:
Ukraine signed an agreement to give the US some revenues from its natural resources. (
Bye Bye Barbie:
Trump acknowledged his tariffs could cause shortages of goods, saying American kids might 'have two dolls instead of 30.' (
Student freed:
Friendly fire:
Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican, said the administration must reverse proposed cuts to scientific research funding. (
Unchecked:
The Senate rejected a resolution to block Trump's tariffs, but three Republicans backed it. (
Money talks:
Dozens of Harvard faculty members
Monkey's paw:
Unions, lawmakers, and others wanted Harvard to pay more in taxes. Trump threatening its tax-exempt status
Turnabout:
Immigration and the debate over antisemitism on college campuses were losing issues for Democrats. Some think Trump's recent moves
BESIDE THE POINT
By Teresa Hanafin
⚽️
Never too old:
A team of
🧴
Never too late:
You're in your 40s or 50s. Did you miss the anti-aging boat? Dermatologists who I assume are not selling skin care products say no. (
🍺
Dad% ABV:
Not to make this section all about Boomers and Gen Xers, but if you're a guy who can't hold your liquor anymore, there's a beer for that. (
👗
Nice threads:
Letter writer compliments friends on their clothes, but feels creepy saying it to strangers. Miss Conduct's advice:
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🗓️
Things to do this weekend:
The Big Queer Food Fest, 'Art in Bloom,' music by contemporary Asian American composers, and more. (
🤢
Retching ride:
Twelve outbreaks of the stomach bug on cruise ships have sickened about 1,500 people so far this year. Follow these tips on how to feel better, or drive cross-country in your own vehicle instead. (
🧋
Quickie cuppa:
Starbucks created an algorithm to serve your coffee two minutes faster. Next: An algorithm that tells baristas that your name is not spelled Mad-Ah-Lynn. (
🐕🦺
Good boy:
If you have a mug or T-shirt with the iconic Martha's Vineyard Black Dog on it, you have tavern founder Robert Douglas to thank.
Thanks for reading Starting Point.
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