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The hot summer of New England could help keep ticks carrying Lyme disease.
The northeastern states – which are among the worst for Lyme in the US, pose a risk to residents and vacationers – and continue to add up to the number of Lyme cases in summer, and there will likely be more to l & # 39; fall. But preliminary indicators show that the disease is easing and public health authorities are finding fewer deer ticks, officials and researchers said.
In Maine, Lyme cases experienced steady annual growth, with a jump of 23% to over 1,850 last year. But the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Lyme cases for May, June and July were below long-term averages. These are major months for the incidence of the disease.
Arachnids find it harder to survive in hot, dry weather, said Charles Lubelczyk, a field biologist with the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough, Maine. Maine had a scorching summer, with Portland having the hottest August ever recorded, and precipitation was below normal in many places.
"They are not as active as they would normally be, and that can mean fewer risks for some people," Lubelczyk said. "This is also reported in other parts of New England."
Ticks may not be dead because they have the ability to calm down and survive in less than ideal conditions, Lubelczyk said. States will have a better idea after the fall, which can also be a bad season for Lyme infections.
But this summer, Connecticut communities in Vermont are reporting fewer ticks. New Hampshire registered more than 1,800 cases last year and about 400 only in mid-year.
It's possible the drought at the end of last summer killed many ticks that should have appeared in the spring, said Sam Telford III, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Global Health at Tufts University.
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