Griffin Dill cited in AP article on ticks carrying Lyme disease in New England
Griffin Dill, coordinator of the tick ID program at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was cited in an Associated Press article about the prevalence of ticks that carry Lyme disease in New England. The pests have reached into northern Maine and are increasing in Vermont, where the state’s entomologist expects cases of the disease to continue to rise and the insects to inhabit new areas, according to the article. Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire are among 17 states with high-risk counties for Lyme disease. The reasons for the increase in populations are varied: climatic factors, land development patterns and hosts like deer and rodents, the article states. Dill said deer ticks are the most commonly encountered ticks by people in Maine. Chicago Tribune, Portland Press Herald and Lexington Herald-Leader carried the AP report.