Connecticut residents are used to checking for ticks at home, but experts are warning those traveling abroad to keep an eye out for the pests overseas, as well.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) says since 2019 they’ve identified nonnative ticks from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Belize, Tanzania, Germany, Poland and Scotland, likely hitching rides on travelers from those countries.
Dr. Goudarz Molaei is a research scientist and public health entomologist who directs the CAES Tick Testing Laboratory. He says the need for diligence on the part of travelers 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 told Connecticut Public in a phone 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 risk posed to individuals, the introduction of new tick species to Connecticut and New England could spell trouble for the ecosystem and rates of tick-borne illness.
“Our region is inundated, our region is already plagued by a number of tick species and a number of tick-borne diseases,” Molaei said. “Quite frankly, we can not handle additional tick species in our region.”
Molaei points to the spread of the invasive longhorned tick as an example of a potentially dangerous tick that’s established a foothold in the U.S., including Connecticut. In less than 10 years since its introduction to the U.S., Molaei said, “the entirety of Fairfield and New Haven [counties] is infested with this particular population.”
Molaei said that climate change has increased the ability of nonnative ticks from warmer, even tropical, climates to survive and thrive in New England.
Molaei urges those returning from overseas travel to perform the same sort of tick checks they would at home. He encourages travelers who discover attached ticks to visit their primary care provider and send the tick for analysis to the CAES Tick Testing Laboratory.
“I don't want to cause unnecessary concern to the public,” Molaei said. “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.”
