I love a good bear thread, and the shit flinging back and forth about guns and pepper spray. There is something far more dangerous lurking in the woods. I find ticks to be more of a threat. It wasn't always this way. I never had to worry about them as a kid. They have been marching slowly and expanding their territory. The moose population is struggling because of ticks infestation. I know people in my area who have not only become incredibly sick and paralyzed by lyme disease but also died from the powassan virus.

There are currently no medications or vaccines to treat or prevent the POWV. Victims of the Powassan virus generally show first symptoms after 1–3 weeks.[3] The initial symptoms for the POWV include: fever, headache, nausea, occasional confusion, and weakness.[7] With severe Powassan illnesses the victims should be hospitalized because the symptoms do worsen. If not treated symptoms could extend to meningoencephalitis, which may include: seizures, aphasia, cranial nerve palsies, paresis and altered mental status.[3][7] Currently the best ways to treat POWV illnesses include: medications to reduce brain swelling, respiratory support and intravenous fluids.[7] 10% of the POWV encephalitis cases are fatal and half of the survivors have permanent symptoms that affect their brain

A guy I used to work with is paralyzed from the neck down and can only communicate by blinking because of lyme disease.

Fuck those nigger bugs! How do we combat them? How do you protect yourself from them while /out/? I was thinking of getting some gaiters and spraying them with permethrin. Now I think I will soak all my clothes in permethrin before leaving the house. I'm going to soak my house in permethrin to keep the ticks out.

Are there any organizations or governments that are doing anything about the spread of ticks? Does science have any answers? Are we doomed to this plague like an unending horde of zombies intent on devouring us?