Johns Hopkins With no vaccines yet and limited treatment options, avoiding tick bites is our best bet in reducing the risk of tickborne illnesses. The vast majority of vector-borne diseases in the U.S. are caused by ticks and the viruses, bacteria, and parasites they carry.
Between 2019-2022, all 50 states and Washington, D.C. reported cases of tickborne diseases. Lyme disease is the most common, but there are a dozen or so lesser-known tickborne illnesses that are on the rise. In an April 28 episode of Public Health On Call, Nicole Baumgarth, DVM, PhD, spoke with Stephanie Desmon all about ticks and the diseases they can cause, progress towards vaccines, and how climate change is increasing where and when ticks can thrive.
Baumgarth, a professor in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and director of the Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute, explains that because we don’t yet have vaccines and treatment options are limited, awareness and individual prevention strategies remain our greatest assets for reducing risks of tickborne illnesses.