Sun Journal interviews Dill about tick-borne diseases rising

The Sun Journal interviewed Griffin Dill, manager of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, about the rising prevalence of tick-borne diseases in Maine. Dill said that there are a number of factors contributing to the rise of tick-borne diseases in Maine, such as increased awareness; milder, shorter winters; and the fact that Maine is a highly forested state. “And then we kind of mix in human development into those forested areas and we create this really nice edge habitat where our yard meets the forest. And it’s really great for mice, for chipmunks, for deer, for birds. And some of those hosts are really important to the ticks and then tick-borne pathogens and so we kind of create this perfect habitat for the ticks and their wildlife hosts,” Dill said. Yahoo News shared the Sun Journal report.