According to a study in the West Suffa Valley in Pennsylvania, one of the three mites in the area has bacteria that cause Lyme disease.
The study was conducted at railroads, parks, and even backyards where there were many pedestrians.
Ralph Garuto, a professor of humanities at Binghamton University, is doing research that clearly examines ticks, "people do not realize that they are at risk."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 300,000 people get Lyme disease each year.
However, only about 30,000 cases were reported.
Mites are most likely to cause disease between spring and early summer.
One of the researchers, Rani Shohenhaus, said, "The probabilities of the mites that the research team collected from the West Lake and the river basin are the second highest in the United States."
"The ticks that cause Lyme disease are actually the same as ticks in the Hudson Valley, which has the highest infection rates in the US, and more cases are reported," he said.
After Shoenhaus informed the importance of the study, he emphasized, "Only interest can prevent disease."
"People are probably surprised at the number of ticks in the area at first, but they might be more surprised to know the number of ticks that cause Lyme disease," he said.
Schoenhaus added that education on public hygiene is important.
