Senator Richard Blumenthal announced in New Haven on Monday that the state would receive thousands of dollars in federal funds to help combat ticks.
“We’re in a battle with ticks and the ticks are threatening to win,” Blumenthal said. “The new funding today can make a tremendous difference in combating Lyme disease.”
The CDC estimates that over 476,000 people in the U.S. get Lyme disease each year.
Many Connecticut residents say they are worried about contracting diseases from ticks.
“I’m always worried about ticks,” said Don Aldleef, a Farmington resident. “Getting Lyme disease would not be a good thing for me.”
Dr. Goudarz Molaei, the director of Connecticut’s Tick and Tick-Borne Disease Surveillance Program, attributes climate change as a factor.
“Connecticut is among several state in the Northeastern United States at greater risk of tick-borne diseases,” he said.
Animals such as dogs can also contract Lyme disease from ticks.
“One of our dogs died from being bitten by a tick,” Aldleef said.
Others are being cautious.
“I always do a tick check,” Andrew Dorr, of West Hartford, said. “If I’m with somebody else, we’ll check each other.”
“My dog actually had Lyme disease,” Erin Levack said. “We didn’t catch it one time, so that’s why I was extra careful.”
The funding will be used to monitor and research ticks in the state. It will also be used to continue the research projects done by Molaei and his team.
