State experts predict uptick in tick-borne diseases will continue

A blacklegged tick, commonly known as a deer tick. Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of HealthHealth officials fear that record numbers of Vermonters will acquire tick-borne diseases this fall after a record-setting summer.
It’s not clear what’s causing the increased number of tick-borne diseases, but the trend doesn’t appear to be solely the result of better testing or greater awareness, said Bradley Tompkins, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the Vermont Health Dep