East Stroudsburg University Reminds Community, May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month and a high-volume tick month. Ticks are the common carriers of Lyme disease (particularly blacklegged ticks known as Ixodes scapularis).  As spring unfolds, the need to take precautions to avoid Lyme disease while practicing social distancing to minimize the risk to COVID-19 is a paramount concern for millions of Pennsylvanians.

Since 2011, Pennsylvania has been the leading state for the number of Lyme disease cases per year, including 10,208 confirmed cases in 2018. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the number of confirmed cases only depicts a portion of the total number, which can be 10 times greater, which would place Pennsylvania upwards of 100,000 cases.

At East Stroudsburg University, the Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab continues to test ticks and analyze the data on infectious rates and geographic impact. The Lab, located within the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute at ESU, has been providing free tick testing for all residents of Pennsylvania through the support of $1 million in grant funding: $500,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Health and Human Services Department and $500,000 from the PA Department of Health. Since the launch of the program in April 2019, the Lab has received and tested 14,156 ticks representing all 67 counties in the Commonwealth.

In April, the PA Tick Research Lab tested 1,376 ticks from PA. Last year, during the same timeframe, 307 ticks were tested. In total, the Lab tested 2,820 ticks from January through April 2020. The prevalence of tick-borne diseases is indicated on the map below. The counties with the highest percentage of ticks testing positive for a tick-borne disease include: Fulton – 50%, Juniata – 47%, and Lebanon – 45%. In the Pocono Mountains region of northeast PA, Wayne County had 43%, Pike 37%, Monroe 32%, and Carbon 29%. All county level data can be found at ticklab.org/statistics and tick testing requests can be placed online at https://www.ticklab.org/.

ESU and the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute have been at the forefront of testing and research of Lyme disease for over 15 years. ESU continues to expand its tick testing and educational outreach services to fight this debilitating contagion. As the northeast headquarters for tick-borne infectious disease research and testing, ESU continues to work with the PA Department of Health and the CDC, along with State Representative Rosemary Brown and other officials, in combating this public health crisis. The university also partnered with EPA Enterprises, Inc. and Garret Hewitt International to launch the Cutter^TM all-inclusive Lyme Disease Tick Testing Kit, the first nationally recognized brand-name product developed at ESU.

The PA Tick Research Lab also launched a state-wide social media campaign focused on tick education, prevention, tickborne illnesses, and weekly tick activity reports to expand awareness. Daily updates are available on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @PATickLab. Please take advantage of these ESU resources to educate yourself about tick borne illness and prevention so that you can enjoy the beautiful outdoors with your family and friends.

To learn more about The Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute and ESU’s tick research and testing efforts, visit esu.edu/dnalab or call (570) 422-7892.

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