A study published earlier this month in the entomology journal Insects delves into how lone star and deer ticks have co-existed since the rapid rise of lone stars, and what it could mean for the future.
A new support group on the Island hopes to offer community and medical support to the growing population of Islanders diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne allergy that leaves people unable to digest red meat.
At a half-day long tick-borne illness symposium put on by several local health groups, experts warned of the ticks' presence across the island and gave tips on how to keep an eye out for them.
Just as medical professionals on the Vineyard are feeling encouraged by the start of a Lyme vaccine trial, Island doctors are reporting numerous instances of itchy, painful rashes caused by lone star tick larvae in so-called “tick bombs.”
As he takes the reins of the Island tick-borne illness prevention program, Patrick Roden-Reynolds aims to build on the work of his predecessor Dick Johnson.
Vineyard doctors, allergists and biologists have identified at least a dozen Islanders who have been formally diagnosed with alpha gal syndrome, a largely unstudied new syndrome.