It’s tick season and according to the CDC, this year is shaping up to be one of the worst.
Some scientists in our area are conducting research that may help prevent tick bites and the diseases they carry.
The Centers for Disease Control say over 30 million Americans are bitten by ticks every year, and almost half a million contract Lyme Disease.
With that in mind, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Mount Aloysius College are conducting a survey to find out what Pennsylvanians know about the risks from tick bites and what to do to prevent infection.
Jill Henning is a biology professor at Pitt-Johnstown and says the survey questions ask things like: how often are you in areas prone to have ticks, like parks and playgrounds? Do you use tick repellant? What kind do you use? Do you treat your yard for ticks?
The professor says the goal is to try and understand the gap between scientific knowledge and common knowledge and then use that information to learn the best ways to help people in the community protect themselves from the long list of illnesses transmitted by ticks.
“Lyme Disease is the most common illness that people know; whenever it’s transmitted by ticks, but ticks actually transmit eight different pathogens and one allergy. So, we’re looking to see how much information people know about those different pathogens. I don’t want to say too much now because it could have influenced the survey results.”
Professor Henning says the survey runs from April thru October.