DeLauro Praises Efforts to Find More Effective Measures to Control Ticks that Spread Lyme Disease

New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) praised the work of the Agricultural Research Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which released the findings of a six-year study – part of the Northeast Areawide Tick Control Project – showing that a device called the "4-poster" Deer Treatment Bait Station is highly effective at reducing the number of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacterium. DeLauro has been a strong advocate for it and through the annual appropriations process had requested funds for the project, which is aimed at finding more effective ways of controlling Lyme disease – an extremely prevalent disease in Connecticut and other Northeastern states.

"Lyme disease is a serious problem in Connecticut and left untreated can lead to problems with the skin, joints, nervous system and heart," said DeLauro. "With this research we will be able to take steps to minimize the number of ticks infected with Lyme disease and thus minimize the number of people infected with Lyme disease. I commend Dr. Durland Fish, a professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health and principal investigator for the project, and the entire team at the Agricultural Research Service for their work on this project."

According to the University of Connecticut, Lyme disease is currently the most common illness transmitted by an insect in the United States. With almost 90% of all Lyme disease cases having been reported in the Northeastern part of the US. And recent research has shown that children are particularly at risk of Lyme disease. One study found that 68% of Lyme disease patients were under the age of 19. This high percentage of young children with Lyme disease may be attributable to the amount of outdoor activities children take part in.

Specifically, the study found that by using the 4-poster, there should be a 71 percent overall reduction in the number of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacterium during summer months when most people get the disease. The effectiveness of the 4-poster ranged from 60 to 82 percent among individual sites in the study.

The 4-poster is a bin that contains corn, with insecticide-laden paint rollers mounted at the bin's corners. When a deer–the primary carrier of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which carries the Lyme disease bacterium–inserts its muzzle into the bin to feed, it must rub its head, neck and ears against the insecticide-treated rollers. When the deer subsequently grooms itself, the pesticide is spread enough to protect the animal's entire body. Further, but using newer, more effective insecticides that were not available at the start of the USDA study, the 4-poster's efficacy could increase to as much as 90 percent.