NH Universities Team Up on $8M Project to Fight Rising Tick-Borne Illness

If it feels like ticks have become impossible to avoid in New Hampshire, the data backs that up, and now the state's researchers are taking action. The University of New Hampshire, Keene State College, and Plymouth State University are joining forces on a major four-year research initiative, backed by an $8 million grant from the National Science Foundation, to better understand why tick-borne illnesses keep climbing across the state.

The project, called EMBEDDEd-NH, will bring together scientists, students, state agencies, and industry partners to study how climate, habitat, and wildlife patterns are shaping tick populations and the diseases they carry. Researchers will collect ticks from across New Hampshire and use tools like genetic testing and data modeling to get a clearer picture of what's driving the increase and how communities can better prepare.

The timing tracks with what many of us have noticed firsthand. New Hampshire consistently ranks among the states with the highest rates of Lyme disease, and emergency room visits for tick bites climbed again this summer. As David Needle, the UNH veterinary pathologist leading the project, put it: ticks are an issue that touches nearly every community in the state.

Whether you're out in the yard, on the trails, or just enjoying summer in Hollis and beyond, it's a good reminder to do a tick check after time outdoors. Long-term, this research could shape how the whole state responds to a problem that isn't going away anytime soon.

Read the original report from New Hampshire Bulletin here.