Ticking Time Bomb: The Escalating Threat of Tick-Borne Diseases in Rural Farming Communities

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• Personal Author:
  Roome, Amanda B. ; Trombley, Destiny ; Kern, Megan ; Scribani, Melissa ; Jenkins, Paul L. ; Ostfeld, Richard ; Sorensen, Julie A.
• Description:
  Objectives: Outdoor workers, particularly farmers and farmworkers, are at increased risk for tick encounters and subsequent tick-borne disease exposure due to daily work in tick habitats. Though well studied in Europe, farmer/worker risk is not well studied in the Northeastern United States. Given the increasing incidence of tick-borne diseases throughout the Northeast population, this study sought to identify risk factors and determine perceptions of risk for tick encounters and tick-borne disease diagnoses within agricultural communities. Methods: Snowball sampling was utilized to recruit farmers and farmworkers for the study. Participants were surveyed about risk perceptions, farm practices, tick encounters, and tick-borne disease exposure. Tick-borne disease diagnosis was tested for association with farm characteristics and individual prevention practices. Associations with tick exposure, including tick encounters and tick bites, were also tested. Results: A total of 53 individuals (representing 46 farms) from dairy and livestock operations in Southern Vermont were recruited for the study. Of participants, 12% reported ever being diagnosed with a tick-borne disease, and reported an average of three tick encounters over the prior 6 months (ranging from 0 to 70). There was a marginal association between grazing livestock and increased tick sightings on the farm, and participants believed their risk for tick-borne disease was higher than other occupations. Conclusions: Farmers are a high-risk population, given their increased risk of exposures at worksites that are prime tick habitats. High numbers of tick encounters and perception of risk highlight the need for tick-borne disease prevention strategies to be tailored to farmers and farmworkers.
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Farmers Livestock Occupational Health Safety Tick-Borne Diseases Ticks
• Keywords:
  Agriculture; Tickborne Diseases; Farm Workers; Farmers; Risk Factors; Livestock; Cattle Industry; Infectious Diseases; Risk Factors; Author Keywords: Dairy Farm; Livestock Farm; Prevention; Ticks; Tick-borne Disease
• Source:
  J Agromedicine 2026 Jan; 31(1):102-108
• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; New York City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  8 pdf pages
• Volume:
  31
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071193
• Contact Point Address:
  Amanda Roome, The Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety: Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, 1 Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, USA
• Email:
  Amanda.Roome@bassett.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• End Date:
  20270831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7c1cc8b91289af42d8434eb332ce8ded1f18daaaab11bf0dc8c1a0d728d09610b385c7dee574122c25589ffb6fdb38266b6d7748b369593ab19cc35c40cd6e4c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258672/cdc_258672_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.42 MB ]