DON'T LET THE TICKS STOP YOU: ME HEALTH EDUCATOR OFFERS PROTECTIVE TIPS

The summer months are a time for Mainers to enjoy the great outdoors, but health educators say it's important to first practice tick safety and learn ways to avoid bites.

At least 15 different kinds of ticks have been identified in Maine, but not all of them bite people or carry disease.

Still, Megan Porter, public health educator with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, advised people to use an EPA-approved tick repellent when gardening or hiking in forested areas.

"We want people to go out and enjoy Maine and be confident that the products that they're using have been tested, they've been researched, and we know that they work against ticks," Porter said.

Porter said even the thinnest fabrics can prevent tick bites, so it’s smart to wear long pants, socks and shirts with long sleeves.

Porter advised people to put those clothes in the dryer on high heat and do a thorough tick check within 30 minutes of coming inside — before most ticks can spread disease.

Ticks can be submitted for testing at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab. Scientists are sharing the collected data to help people determine their exposure risk in certain areas, including their own backyard.

So far, Porter said currently up to 2% of ER visits in the state are tick-related, but the lone star tick, which can trigger a red meat allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome, has not yet been detected in Maine.

Dr. Joydip Roy is Mid-Atlantic market chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare. Roy said Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness and something that basic tick education can help prevent.

"Lyme disease – this is definitely a disease that mostly comes from deer ticks, and it's really established in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic and the upper Midwest. It can occur anywhere in the United States," Roy said.

Roy said tick bites can cause fever and chills, fatigue or rashes depending on the specific type. Roy urges people experiencing any symptoms to contact their doctor right away.

Pets also carry ticks and will need a thorough check after being outside, too, including under their collar and behind the ears.

2026-07-31T01:57:31Z