Killing ticks in a community reduces the number of carriers of the key bacteria that cause Lyme disease, but a large study found that it did not reduce people reporting the disease.
health
February 9, 2023
Chemical sprays that kill ticks appear ineffective in preventing the spread of Lyme disease shutterstock/new africa
Tick control chemicals alone may not be enough to reduce the incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. The largest study of its kind on the use of tick control to prevent disease found that killing ticks reduced the number and percentage of ticks harboring the key bacteria that cause Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), but did not lead to a reduction in reports of people getting sick.
The incidence of Lyme disease in the United States has increased several-fold…
