Are You at Risk for Lyme Disease?

Summary: Lyme disease is a debilitating condition that affects more than 300,000 people each year. But a vaccine may be just around the corner.
Air Date: 10/26/13
Duration: 60
Host: Dr. Michael Roizen, MD
Guest Bio: Thomas Mather, PhD
Dr. Thomas N. Mather (A.K.A. "the Tick Guy") is the TickEncounter Resource Center's Director and researches tick ecology, area-wide tick control strategies, tick-bite protection, and tick-borne disease prevention. His research and outreach programs are diverse, including anti-tick vaccine discovery projects, evaluations of targeted tick control strategies, tick-borne disease risk prediction, as well as development of tick-bite protection decision support tools and social networking strategies for tick-borne disease prevention.

His work has received local, national, and even international recognition and has attracted more than $13 million from a wide variety of sources, including the National Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the National Institutes of Health.
    Are You at Risk for Lyme Disease?
    Lyme disease - spread through tick bites - has now become one of the fastest growing epidemics to date.

    Current CDC numbers show that about 300,000 people are being affected each year. Most of those cases are in just 13 states.

    Is your state one of them?

    Bug-borne disease expert Thomas Mather, PhD, teaches you more about the risks and how to protect yourself and your family. As the University of Rhode Island's own "Tick Guy," Dr. Mather says ticks of all types seem to be more abundant than in the past. But his research means a preventive vaccine may be around the corner.

    Dr. Mather also shares helpful tips for fighting tick-borne illness.

    Bonus!

    RealAge Tip
    Pack a Nutty Snack