Media report on details contained in Extension’s tick report

The Bangor Daily News posted the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s 2019 Tick Surveillance Program Annual Report. The report indicates that 2,697 ticks were submitted last year to the lab; samples were submitted from each of the state’s 16 counties and from 358 towns. The first sample arrived April 1 and the last Dec. 30. The majority were identified as deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis), while American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) also made up a significant portion of the submissions. The 16-page report also includes information about tick feeding sites on the human body, activity risk factors, maps of where ticks were submitted from, and pathogen testing results. The Portland Press Herald, News Center Maine and WBZ News Radio included details of the report, WGME and Maine Public posted the Bangor Daily News story, and USA Today published findings from the report in its roundup from the 50 states. WHDH TV 7 News Boston, WABI and Q96.1 posted the Associated Press story.