The New York Times had it mostly right last week when they reported that it was the summer of the tick on Martha’s Vineyard, rather than the summer of “Jaws,” as the classic film turned 50 years old this summer with much fanfare.
If you read the New York Times piece, you would be left believing that the two single notes in rapid sequence, “dun, dun,” that struck fear in so many ocean swimmers after the blockbuster was filmed here on the Island have been replaced by the ominous silence of tiny ticks that seem to be everywhere. That is good material for newspaper copy, for sure, even if a quiet tick-tick is just not as powerful a Hollywood pull as “dun-dun.”
The sobering truth of this problem is that we are grappling with a tick problem that is significant, but also a fair bit more complicated and nuanced than the New York Times story would have us believe. The truth is it’s been the summer of ticks on the Island for a very long time, and Islanders have been changing their habits for years in recognition of that. Islanders have long been treating walks in the woods with great caution, spraying on repellent and donning strange-looking outfits when outside. In some cases, families are even deciding not to send their kids to summer camp, for fear they might be bitten by the wrong tick. But the reality is that the Island has long been a hot spot, for Lyme disease, for instance, as have so many rural communities throughout New England.
But what is newer and the more precise problem highlighted in The Times is the rapid spread of the lone star tick, which derives its name from a distinct white spot on its back. The number of cases have skyrocketed over the past few years. If you go up-Island, it’s seemingly hard to find someone who hasn’t had “alpha-gal,” the common name given to a condition brought on by a lone star tick bite that causes delayed allergic reaction to a sugar molecule found in mammalian products. Restaurants and stores are starting to adjust, providing more vegan options on their menus so those with alpha-gal syndrome can avoid all mammalian products, and most places are also being attentive to cross-contamination concerns in kitchens.
While this is a growing issue on the Island, it isn’t just a Martha’s Vineyard problem. News outlets on the Outer Cape have reported a rise in lone star ticks and alpha gal cases as well. Health officials there and all across New England are sending out alerts to stay proactive with prevention in light of the lone star. The Boston Globe published a story last month about the explosion of tick-borne illnesses across New England. A warming climate is not helping the tick’s spread.
As we are reporting in today’s paper, and something we find troubling, the amount of research and tracking of local cases could be better funded. With health boards tied to their daily routines like septic and restaurant inspections, the Island has partnered with a health official to track the many tick-borne infections that are contracted daily. As our reporter learned, Betsy VanLandingham is the only infectious disease case investigator on the Island. She estimates that there are a handful of new cases every day, and hundreds over a year. The problem is, she is only part-time. She is supposed to work only 26 hours a week, but through her own goodwill, she admits to working far beyond that. This response seems inadequate given the enormity of the problem with ticks.
To make the matter worse, VanLandigham’s funding from the federal government has been rescinded as part of the Trump administration’s cutbacks. She says she has enough funding to last through June 2026. But with a federal government that isn’t keen on spending money on health and the sciences, and with a state government that is trying to fill in a growing number of gaps, funding for tick-borne illness research and tracking could fall through the cracks. We believe this Island’s town officials need to step up to be sure that does not happen by filling this gap. Our town officials must find funding from the coffers of the towns, which are often flush with tax revenue from wealthy summer residents and all of us who live here and pay taxes.
There is reason to be hopeful. There are a wide range of Island researchers, health officials, and tick experts who are curious and want to lend their time to helping. The group held a lengthy conference over the weekend to discuss a plethora of ideas, and hear from victims. Leaders on the panels said that was just the beginning, and a good beginning, of investigating exactly what the problem is. They are hopeful that they can begin to take action.
But there are a lot of questions that we don’t know about many tick-borne illnesses. With the spread of alpha-gal and the lone star, those questions only seem to be growing. There is a void in understanding when even the number of cases is difficult to track. We need to come together as a community with a far more robust response to this problem, and we need to push our town officials to be sure they get that important job done.
It might be helpful if there were some scientific studies conducted to provide data to guide action in tick mitigation. For example we do not know if the introduction of birds who feed on ticks while also acting as a blood meal host for said ticks increases or decreases populations and spread of ticks? Maybe the next administration will back science so we have some data with which to determine an effective course of action? Until then we can only speculate.