Overseas journey, overseas ticks: CT specialists warn to maintain an eye fixed out for hitchhikers

Connecticut residents are used to checking for ticks at house, however specialists are warning these touring overseas to maintain an eye fixed out for the pests abroad, as nicely.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) says since 2019 they’ve recognized nonnative ticks from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Belize, Tanzania, Germany, Poland and Scotland, seemingly hitching rides on vacationers from these international locations.

Dr. Goudarz Molaei is a analysis scientist and public well being entomologist who directs the CAES Tick Testing Laboratory. He says the necessity for diligence on the a part of vacationers is twofold.

“Whether we travel to Africa, Asia, Europe, or wherever, there is a chance that we might encounter ticks and we might contract tick-borne diseases,” Molaei advised Connecticut Public in a cellphone interview. “We have numerous tick-borne diseases around the globe. Some of them are similar to what we have here in the United States. Others are not.”

In addition to the chance posed to people, the introduction of latest tick species to Connecticut and New England might spell bother for the ecosystem and charges of tick-borne sickness.

“Our region is inundated, our region is already plagued by a number of tick species and a number of tick-borne diseases,” Molaei mentioned. “Quite frankly, we can not handle additional tick species in our region.”

Molaei factors to the spread of the invasive longhorned tick for instance of a probably harmful tick that’s established a foothold within the U.S., together with Connecticut. In lower than 10 years since its introduction to the U.S., Molaei mentioned, “the entirety of Fairfield and New Haven [counties] is infested with this particular population.”

Molaei mentioned that local weather change has elevated the flexibility of nonnative ticks from hotter, even tropical, climates to outlive and thrive in New England.

Molaei urges these coming back from abroad journey to carry out the identical form of tick checks they’d at house. He encourages vacationers who uncover connected ticks to go to their major care supplier and ship the tick for evaluation to the CAES Tick Testing Laboratory.

“I don’t want to cause unnecessary concern to the public,” Molaei mentioned. “I’m hoping that this would create awareness among the public so they realize that they need to protect themselves while they are traveling abroad.”