CDC report: Black-legged tick in twice as many US counties as in '98

[sarah darwins]

Guardian report:

Ticks that can carry the debilitating illness Lyme disease have significantly spread across the US over the past 20 years and are now found in nearly half of all American counties, including areas where they’ve never previously been documented, a new analysis has found.

The black-legged tick is now established in twice the number of counties it inhabited in 1998, according to the US Centers for Disease Control, and has expanded its range in the northeastern states and the upper midwest.

source: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/18/black-legged-ticks-lyme-disease-across-us

The actual report was published 18th January 2016 in The Journal of Medical Entomology. Authors are Rebecca J. Eisen, Lars Eisen, Charles B. Beard (all from the CDC, I think)

Map featured in abstract (Figure 1) showing spread since '98:

Link to report: http://jme.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/01/15/jme.tjv237

 

[duncan]

Twice as many counties with ixodes scapularis since 1998 - remarkable, since I'm pretty sure these researchers employ CDC Math.

I suspect they also employ CDC Science, which might mean deciding which of those ticks is more likely to convey Lyme may be an interesting call - one that ultimately may be tied into CDC Geography.

 

[Antares in NYC]

Standing ovation to the CDC and IDSA for the awesome, awesome job they have done containing this epidemic.
Please, clap harder!

 

[Ellkaye]

Are there sprays for the body to kill ticks?

 

[IreneF]

Are there sprays for the body to kill ticks?

Here's a site with information on preventing tick bites:
http://www.tickencounter.org/prevention/protect_yourself

Repellents containing DEET are supposed to work, but perhaps not as well on ticks as well as mosquitoes. You should wear light-colored clothing and tuck your pants into your boots, keep long hair braided or tied up, and check your entire body when you get home. You can get sprays for your clothes, too.

Stay out of tick habitat. I think this will vary depending upon where you are. Try contacting your local public health department.