Tick Season Survival Guide: 5 Things to Know About Ticks

Martha's Vineyard is a haven for more than humans: Abundant open space and a lack of natural predators have led to deer populations estimated at about 50 deer per square mile, according to the Martha's Vineyard Boards of Health.

With deer come deer ticks and Lyme disease infections, which peak on the Island in late spring and early summer and again during the November hunting season.

"Martha's Vineyard is an endemic area for tick-borne disease," said Michael Loberg, Tisbury board of health commissioner and a member of the Island-wide Tick Borne Illness Prevention Program.

Here are five important things to know about ticks; click the links for complete articles:

1. Kids Are Most at Risk of Tick Bites and Tick-Borne Diseases, even more than landscapers.
2. How to Tick-Proof Your Yard: Clear up that leafy litter.
3. Dress Defensively to Protect Yourself from Ticks: Socks with sandals have never been hipper.
4. How to Prevent Lyme Disease After a Bite: Get treated within 72 hours and you have a big head start.
5. How to Protect Your Dog from Ticks: Advice from one of the Vineyard's best-known veterinarians.

The Tick Borne Illness Prevention Program has a comprehensive website with questions and answers and a series of informational videos on preventing TBI, shorthand for tick-borne illnesses including Lyme disease, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

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