The trend toward milder winters caused by climate change may encourage higher deer tick activity and increase risk of exposure to Lyme disease, according to an article published in Northeastern Global News. Experts explained that even though deer ticks remaining higher in the leaf litter will die after experiencing prolonged subfreezing temperatures, they can emerge at temperatures of around 40° F and have various strategies for surviving the winter weather and snow cover—including burrowing deep into the leaf litter and producing the antifreeze chemical glycerol. With warmer weather and less snowfall, experts stressed that more adult deer ticks carrying the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi will survive the winter months. Even though nymphal-stage ticks are responsible for the majority of Lyme disease infections, adult ticks carry a 50% infection rate because they may be more likely to feed on other large mammals prior to encountering a human. Therefore, experts recommended that individuals should take steps to prevent tick bites year-round by applying the insecticide permethrin to their pants and footwear, wearing tick repellent on exposed skin, pulling socks up over pants to create a barrier, and thoroughly checking for ticks and taking warm showers after returning from the outdoors.
July 11, 2023