SCARBOROUGH — Congresswoman Chellie Pingree met with researchers at Maine Medical Center Research Institutae’s Vector-borne Disease Laboratory in Scarborough Monday to discuss the growing problem of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses that are spreading through Maine. Pingree, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said she is pushing for increased federal funding for research on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
“Maine, especially the Midcoast, is really becoming a hot spot for these diseases, and I wanted to see first-hand the research that is going on right here,” Pingree said in a prepared statement. “The number of cases of Lyme disease is skyrocketing ”“ in fact we are No. 2 in the country behind Vermont on a per capita basis.
“But we certainly aren’t alone, this is a widespread problem and it deserves more funding and resources toward finding the best ways to prevent these diseases and treat people who contract them.”
In addition to Lyme disease, Pingree discussed an increased incidence of other diseases also carried by deer ticks that have begun showing up in Maine, including Powassan, Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis.
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