Watertown native works to advance understanding of tick-borne diseases

Stephen M. Rich, a Watertown native, is the executive director of the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases and director of TickReport.com. He is also a professor of microbiology and director of the Laboratory of Medical Zoology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Tick-related illnesses recorded by the Jefferson County Public Health Service in recent years include cases diagnosed through blood tests. Lyme disease can also be identified by its characteristic bull’s-eye rash, meaning some cases may not appear in those records. Alpha-gal syndrome is associated with the Lone Star tick, which is not established in Northern New York but has been spreading in other parts of the state.