Helathy+4SummerFall2023spreadsfinal - Flipbook - Page 10
Tick Talk
Tips for staying safe
during tick season
W
“ Tick-borne infections
are not something to
take lightly.”
–James Poole, MD,
Hospitalist and
Director of SVMC
Inpatient Services
8 | HEALTHY+ | SUMMER–FALL 2023
hile ticks may be out and about in all but the
coldest of months, adult ticks are most active in the
summer and fall. And given that over 50% of ticks
tested in Vermont are infected with B. burgdorferi, the bacteria
that causes Lyme disease, it’s in your—and your family’s—
best interest to take extra precautions during the height of
tick season.
“Tick-borne infections are not something to take lightly,” says
Dr. James Poole, Hospitalist and Director of Inpatient Services
at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC). “Both Lyme
and anaplasmosis—the most common tick-borne diseases in our
region—can have really unpleasant and potentially disabling
symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, fatigue, neurologic