Of Mice & Ticks: Using Ecology to Prevent Lyme Disease

According to the CDC, reported tick-borne disease cases have doubled since 2004, with New York second only to Pennsylvania in number of infected residents.

Westchester, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley are hotspots.

Blacklegged ticks have been found in woody parks in most of New York City's boroughs. Reducing ticks and our contact with them is a priority.

Dr. Rick Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and a national expert on Lyme disease ecology. discusses why ticks and tick-borne disease are on the rise, how wildlife influences our risk of getting sick, and ways that ecology can inform tick management and make the outdoors safer for people and pets.