Karl Nelson, longtime science teacher at the West Tisbury School, wrote a letter to the editor that was chilling. It tells the tale of his discovery in January of a tick carrying the Powassan virus. As a vector for this viral rather than bacterial infection, it can infect its host within minutes, with permanent brain damage highly likely in survivors.

It has long been a mystery to many of us why Martha’s Vineyard is not at the epicenter of the study of ticks and the diseases they carry. We all have numerous friends who have been infected. All four of my children have had Lyme, one with long-term side effects. Dick Johnson has done so much to fix our attention on the ramifications of tick-inflicted disease. This past summer, by skirting a white cloth on the wooded edge of our lawn, Dick found the aggressive lone-star tick, now settling into our Island habitat, which can carry no less than seven diseases.

Singling out the complexities of Lyme, we are told by the founder of the Lyme Disease Foundation, Karen V. Forschner, that “the infection is protean — that is, ever-changing — and because so many body systems are involved, it takes a seemingly infinite array of forms.” We now know that the tick is host to at least a dozen diseases. Our residents and visitors comprise a community which values spending time in nature. Without doubt, we have reached a crisis point.

Vineyard Haven resident Tom Sullivan wrote an interesting letter late last summer in which he cites an article by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and published by the National Academy of Sciences entitled “Decline of Red Fox Coincides with a Rise in Cases of Lyme Disease.” I am not a scientist, but understand that the genetically-modified mouse idea, if it is indeed a good one, will take many years to implement. Perhaps introducing the red fox and thinning the deer herd may have a more immediate effect.

Foremost, I hope the medical and scientific community not only continue to educate us on the threats posed by this tiny, prehistoric monster but, more importantly, help us define the resources we need to inspire and finance the long overdue establishment of a research center and clinic right here on our sublime shores.

Susan Puciul
Chilmark