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TOWNSHIP OF BRICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – New Jersey has the second highest number of cases of Lyme disease in the country in 2017 and deer ticks are the main cause.
Now, lawmakers have introduced legislation that makes reducing the popularity of Garden State ticks a priority.
Blood-sucking creatures are too familiar to many people who cross the state.
"I've been bitten by a tick," said Matt Girard, Brick resident. "Fortunately, I knew how to get out without contracting Lyme disease or something like that."
Girard was not sick, but more than 5,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported last year – the largest number in nearly 20 years. In response, MP Eric Houghtaling (J-11) is co-sponsoring a bill to control the New Jersey tick population before the situation worsens.
Experts say that spraying is actually not the best way to control the tick population. The focus should be on reducing the populations of animals that harbor them, such as deer or rodents.
"Experts say spraying is not the best way to control the tick population. Emphasis should be on reducing the populations of animals that harbor them, such as rodents and deer.
"They spray insecticides locally and locally, on deer that will kill ticks," said Rutgers University Professor of Entomology Alvaro Toledo.
Toledo says that the first step in any tick control plan must be state-wide surveillance so that people know how many ticks and what types are present in each zone.
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