Just as medical professionals on the Vineyard are feeling encouraged by the start of a Lyme vaccine trial, Island doctors are reporting numerous instances of itchy, painful rashes caused by lone star tick larvae in so-called “tick bombs.”
Tick-borne illnesses on Martha’s Vineyard have reached possible record highs this year, as lone star ticks and their larvae spread in the Island’s outermost reaches.
The rapid and unexpected expansion of the lone star tick into New England poses an ominous public health risk for coastal communities like Martha’s Vineyard.
As a particularly pervasive summer for ticks on the Island winds down, the Infectious Disease Society of America has released new draft guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
For some, Jonah Rehak’s insect obsession is hard to understand. “My family hates the freezer,” he said. “There are just vials of June bugs, lady bugs, fireflies and moths everywhere.”
Here is a quick guide to ticks on Martha's Vineyard. For more information about prevention and treatment, the Martha's Vineyard Boards of Health has an informative website on tickborne illness.
The Martha’s Vineyard tick-borne illness reduction initiative has run out of funds, and barring an influx of money will have to shut down after this summer, program director Richard Johnson confirmed.
A post-summer report says tick populations are up, especially the newest species of disease-carrying arachnid to invade Martha’s Vineyard: the lone star tick.
