Lyme disease forecasters are saying 2021 could be one for the record books: This winter was one of the warmest on record, and lingering summer heat could add weeks of outdoor activity to animals that carry ticks, which thrive in hot, humid conditions.
-- typically associated with woodlands in New England and other forested regions of the U.S. -- have been found in abundance near beaches in Northern California, new research shows., said the findings surprised even his own team, which did not expect to discover ticks infected with Lyme disease-causing bacteria on the shoreline.
John Aucott, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center, said the study is boosting new concerns about how and where Lyme disease can spread, with the prime summer beach season just weeks away. Pests.org, which produces an annual 2021 Tick Forecast, projects the Southeastern United States won’t see more tick activity than usual this year,: “Most states will experience the warmer, wetter conditions that drive tick populations -- and the prospect of tick-borne diseases -- skyward.”
He added: “I’ve heard anecdotally that last summer was bad and I suspect this summer will be, too. People will have a chance to stretch their wings by getting outside. And it doesn’t have to be some big adventure, like hiking the Appalachian Trail; they just need to go to their regional park and take a hike and not take precautions.
“We've found ticks infected with bacteria in woodland, redwood forest, coastal scrub ... Now we're really interested in understanding what animals might be the reservoir -- the host that actually infects the ticks -- for the disease in these other habitats,” he said. “I have uneducated guesses: Perhaps mice, wood rats, rabbits, voles.”
, point to the need for greater awareness of the risks of tick-borne diseases among beachgoers, outdoor enthusiasts, and health care professionals, he said.
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