Spring is finally here. We can emerge from our houses, go for hikes, take walks, and stroll around in the woods.
But we should avoid getting bitten by a deer tick.
Deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) live everywhere in the country, including here in Windham County. Many deer ticks now carry Lyme disease, as well as four other bacterial infections: Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis.
Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete (spiral-shaped bacteria) borrelia burgdorferi, which is similar to the syphilis organism.