Cases of tick-borne disease in Maine declined in 2018. A little more than 1300 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Maine Center for Disease Control, as compared to more than 1800 last year.
Cases of Anaplasmosis also went down, while diagnoses of the disease Babesiosis held steady.
The Portland Press Herald reports that researchers at Maine Medical Center's Lyme and Vector-Borne Disease Lab say Maine's hot, dry summer may have reduced the tick population.
Tick-borne diseases can cause fevers, aches and more severe symptoms in some cases. To avoid exposure to ticks, the Maine CDC recommends wearing long sleeves and pants when outdoors and to avoid walking in leaf litter and high grass.
