Climate Change Likely to Increase Range of Deer Tick Habitat Lyme Disease

Returning to the topic of climate change, a recent article in Environmental Health Perspectives discusses the correlation between rising temperatures, the northern expansion of deer tick habitat, and increased incidence of Lyme disease. Based on the researcher’s projections, not only will the deer tick’s range continue to expand northward, but existing populations will become more dense, thereby increasing the risk of transmitting Lyme disease. Currently, Massachusetts has the highest number of cases per year at just over 1700,  while New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont each reported 1002, 885, and 386 cases in 2012, respectively.