Forty to 90 percent of white-footed mice carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and they provide the first blood meals for blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, which can transmit the disease to humans. The dangerous trifecta of mice, ticks and Lyme disease might seem like a problem for only rural and suburban areas, but climate change is increasingly making it an issue in cities as well. And older methods of mouse eradication might not be enough to decrease the growing prevalence of Lyme disease. In 2016, the institute identified the neighborhoods in Dutchess County that were hot spots for Lyme disease. How to avoid Lyme disease

Source: Washington Post June 18, 2017 11:26 UTC