U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has announced millions of dollars in funding for research into tick-borne diseases.
Diseases caused by ticks have more than doubled in the last ten years across the Northeast.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, located in New Haven, will receive $200,000.
Blumenthal said the money will fund vital research at the nationally recognized facility.
“The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is a model for the whole country,” Blumenthal said. “It is truly at the forefront of public health prevention of tick-borne diseases.”
There are three main types of ticks in Connecticut that feed on humans. They are the Backlegged tick, the American dog tick, and the Lone star tick.
They can cause diseases like Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis, which can become deadly.
Chief scientist Dr. Goudarz Molaei said the money will be used to hire new staff, who are responsible for testing ticks from around the state for diseases.
“Every year our laboratory receives nearly 6000 ticks, these ticks are tested, and the results are shared with the public in order to inform them and assist them in making decisions for diagnosis and treatment,” Goudarz said.
Blumenthal also announced $26 million in funding for the federal CDC to study Lyme disease and $7 million for the Department of Defense's Tick-Borne Disease Research Program.
