Chronic Lyme Debate Comes to the South Fork

Chronic Lyme Debate Comes to the South Fork

Robbie Vorhaus has a passion for gardening at his North Haven home, cultivating organic produce with his wife, Candace. But these days, preparing for this pastoral tradition is almost like preparing for battle. Dressing for the garden now entails a full-body spray of tick repellent before dressing in long pants, long sleeve shirts, closed toed shoes, gloves and even a bandana. Afterwards, he tosses his clothing immediately into a dyer and takes a shower. Even then, there is usually one or two ectoparasites that have somehow found their way through his layers of protection. Sometimes he wonders if he should be gardening at all. Officially diagnosed with Lyme disease, Vorhaus said so far this season he has picked over 100 ticks off himself. Last season, he counted 100 in total, the year before 25. In 2010, he only counted 10 ticks. Read more.

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