According to the University of Maine Tick Surveillance Program Annual Report, 39 percent of ticks submitted to the lab in 2019 tested positive for Lyme disease.
A total of 2,697 ticks were submitted to the lab last year. The University said samples came from each of Maine's 16 counties and from 358 different Maine towns. Of all the ticks that were submitted, the University said 727 were found on people after they had been gardening or working in their yard.
The report also noted the vast majority (95%) of ticks submitted by people who found them on their body were discovered while attached and feeding. Only 5% were found crawling on the body. The report said deer ticks were most commonly found on the head of children under 15 years old, but were most often attached to the legs of adults.
On its website, the University said its Tick Lab is striving to learn about the geographic spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Maine and to provide information about the risk of encountering ticks.
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