“Tick Week” news coverage from Maine TV station
May 22-26 was “Tick Week” at News Center Maine, an NBC-affiliated TV station in Portland, Maine.
Reporter Vivian Leigh filed the following daily stories:
May 22: New ticks species and pathogens expanding into Maine
So far this year, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has counted 374 cases of Lyme disease following a record of more than 2,600 cases last year. Research shows deer ticks are expanding into new areas of Maine, and they’re carrying a greater number of disease-causing pathogens as they move.
May 23: Non-Lyme tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Maine, too.
Federal health officials say cases of babesiosis have skyrocketed by more than 1,400 percent over an 8-year period.
May 24: Maine patients want labs to provide more Lyme testing data
A proposed law, LD 906, would require labs in Maine to provide all of the clinical data from standardized blood tests for Lyme and tick-borne diseases.
May 25: Photo project puts the toll of Lyme disease in focus
Jiatong Lu is a professional photographer who is capturing the realities of living with Lyme to focus on the human toll of the disease.
Lu was diagnosed with neurological Lyme disease and co-infections two years ago. After a difficult journey of healing, she is now photographing patients across the country to give them a voice after feeling their suffering was invisible to the rest of the world.
Two free programs are providing tools and resources to help students protect themselves against ticks.
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