Health Officials Declare Epidemic as Lyme Disease Risk Grows

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Towns situated within Massachusetts’ Norfolk County, including Needham, are at a serious risk for Lyme Disease. An increase in infected ticks in the area has forced health officials to declare an epidemic, according to a WCVB report. Plymouth and Bristol county towns are also at risk.

Lyme disease has become a major problem in the area because of the increasing deer population, researchers say. Deer serve as food for ticks. Ticks require blood meals from a host to develop. After attaching themselves to a deer, female ticks can lay up to 3,000 eggs. Once the eggs hatch, they are dispersed everywhere, leaving humans at risk.

The summer months of June and July are when tick bites are most common. If a tick is attached to your skin for less than 24 hours, your chance of getting Lyme disease is small. If the tick remains attached for more than 24 hours, the disease will likely be passed on, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Ticks are most prevalent in thick, wooded areas. They tend to lurk in grassy fields, awaiting a chance to attach to a host.

A tick bite is practically painless. Symptoms can take anywhere between three days to a month to appear. Common symptoms include fever, chills, aches, pains and rash. A circular red rash may indicate infection.

After being outdoors, the CDC recommends to check your body in the following areas for ticks:

• Under the arms
• In and around the ears
• Inside the belly button
• Back of the knees
• In and around all head and body hair
• Between the legs
• Around the waist

The state conducts mosquito spraying each summer to prevent West Nile virus and EEE. They’ve yet to implement a preventative measure against deer ticks and Lyme Disease.