Mainers Are Being Reminded To Save Ticks For Testing If You Get Bit
Most everyone's favorite time of the year is finally here. And with summer comes ticks. Those little bugs that, with one little bite, can change your life forever. Like that Lone Star Deer Tick who can make you allergic to red meat and pork. I can't imagine life without bacon.
If you're unlucky enough to find a tick making a home for itself on you the State of Maine is reminding us to keep the tick and send it in for testing.
The Associated Press says the testing can show whether the person bitten by the tick was exposed to anything. The UMaine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab tests for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesia. The tests are $15 per tick for Maine residents. Click here for more info.
Health care providers reported more than 1,400 confirmed and probable Lyme cases to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention last year. Believe it or not that number is down from the previous year. The Maine Department of Labor says the summer is a time of year when residents have to be especially mindful of ticks, particularly people who work outside.
If you do find a tick on you, here's one easy way to remove the little bugger..