A recent survey on the Cape has revealed Powassan, a potentially fatal disease carried by deer ticks. Despite a growing list of tick-borne diseases in the region, there are no plans for tick surveillance on the Vineyard.
Scientists at MIT are hoping to prevent Lyme disease on the Vineyard by releasing large numbers of genetically engineered mice into the wild. The project would still be years down the road.
As tick-borne diseases continue to be a source of growing public health concern on the Vineyard, a panel discussion convenes Wednesday to discuss a potential new approach to curbing Lyme and other infections.
As the Island boards of health begin to engage in a five-year effort to battle tick-borne illnesses on the Vineyard, early field work from a group of medical students on the Island points to serious deficiencies in reporting tick diseases to state public health officials, especially for Lyme disease.
A broad-based effort to combat Lyme disease is now underway on the Vineyard, with the objective of better documenting and preventing the tick-borne illness that has affected untold numbers of year-round Islanders, summer residents and casual visitors.
