Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease are a significant health concern for many Rhode Islanders, particularly workers in outdoor occupations who have frequent exposure to tick-infested habitats.

And now, just when most people think that tick season should be over for the year, adult blacklegged ticks begin their annual emergence and become exceptionally abundant across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and upper Mid-West regions according to experts at TickEncounter.org.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Dr. Tom Mather, University of Rhode Island (URI) Professor of Public Health Entomology, met at the REI store in Cranston’s Chapel View to announce a new federal grant award worth $2,039,000 over four years to study Lyme disease prevention and exposure among outdoor workers.

The federal funding is made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which works to prevent workplace illnesses and injuries. The grant will provide approximately $240,000 in direct funding annually for URI over the next four years to field test the effectiveness of long lasting permethrin-impregnated (LLPI) clothing in outdoor workers.

Permethrin is an active ingredient that is lethal for ticks but is recommended for certain human uses, and in the amounts found in clothing, should not harm the environment if used appropriately. Clothes treated with permethrin are commercially available at many outdoor retailers and when used regularly, could play a critical role in reducing tick bites and disease in people that spend a significant about of time in tick habitat.

URI scientists are collaborating with a team of researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) on the study, which will use clothing made by a North Carolina company.

Mather, along with UNC epidemiologist Dr. Steven Meshnick, will lead the team in researching whether long-lasting permethrin treatment is a viable strategy for reducing tick-borne diseases, particularly Lyme disease, in outdoor workers. The results of the investigation could help workers determine the best type of personal protective equipment and work practices to employ to protect against ticks and tick-borne illnesses.  According to the CDC’s grant announcement: “If successful, the research could provide strong and much needed evidence that the long-lasting treatment of clothing with permethrin results in significant reductions in tick-borne diseases with little chance of toxicity.”

“Tick-borne diseases pose serious public health challenges. We want people to enjoy the great outdoors, but we also want them to be safe and aware of what they can do to protect themselves and their families. I am working to boost federal research and coordination to help prevent Lyme disease and strengthen surveillance of tick-borne illnesses. This new grant is a smart investment that will enable Dr. Mather and his colleagues to field-test tick repellent clothing and better understand the best and safest ways to protect people, particularly folks who spend a great deal of time outdoors, from tick bites,” said Reed, who has called for a national strategy to combat Lyme disease and expand federal research efforts to increase Lyme surveillance and prevention.

Reed has also cosponsored the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015, which aims to help ensure the necessary resources are dedicated to fighting tick-borne diseases throughout the country. The legislation would place greater federal focus on research, education, and outreach to individuals and families, and coordination among health professionals and government agencies.

Last year, Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, helped secure $23 million for the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for Lyme disease research grants.

“There just are more ticks in more places these days,” said Mather, URI’s TickGuy. “Ticks and the infections they carry, like Lyme disease, are a largely unmet public health crisis. There is an urgent need for research on actionable prevention strategies that are easy for people at risk to adopt. Safe and effective tick repellent clothing could make tick bite protection as easy as getting dressed in the morning.”

The incidence of tick-borne disease throughout the country has doubled since 1991. Nationally, the CDC estimates about 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed annually, and 95 percent of those cases occur in just 14 states, one of which is Rhode Island.

In addition to his work as a Professor of Public Health Entomology, Mather also runs URI’s nationally prominent TickEncounter Resource Center, which promotes tick-bite protection and tick-borne disease prevention by engaging, educating, and empowering people to take action.