Kathy Stewart, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Loudoun County is getting ready to wage an all-out war on ticks.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an aggressive anti-tick action plan in hopes of reversing the soaring cases of Lyme disease in the county.
The county will begin spaying nine of its public parks on April 18.
“We have the highest prevalence of Lyme disease in the state and the third highest number of cases in the country,” says Supervisor Ken Reid (Leesburg), who has studied the disease and is the co-author of the county’s Lyme prevention initiative.
Reid says the plan also involves creating a Lyme disease commission, promoting public education and awareness and even establishing a list of doctors that specialize in diagnosing and treating the disease.
Deer ticks, also known as Black-Legged ticks, carry Lyme disease. The Virginia Department of Health says there was a 37 percent increase in the disease between 2009 to 2010.
However, many experts say most cases of Lyme disease go unreported.
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