lyme disease

The summer is almost here and while many New Jersey residents are looking forward to some fun in the sun, it's also a time when insect populations transmit diseases that can and should be avoided.  Among the insects are ticks that transmit Lyme Disease and mosquitoes that transmit the West Nile Virus.

Lyme Disease afflicts thousands of people in New Jersey alone and Congressman Chris Smith wants to see prevention, research and treatment for the debilitating disease increased.

A group of lawmakers is pushing for a national strategy to combat Lyme disease aimed at speeding advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the sometimes serious illness that infects tens of thousands of people every year.

Experts are concerned that a low supply of acorns and other tree nuts this year may translate into increased Lyme disease risk.

Researchers who spent three years dragging sheets of fabric through the woods to snag ticks have created a detailed map they claim could improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.