Your Body Almanac

Connecticut

The town Lyme disease is named for, plus short winter days.

Connecticut is one of the states where Lyme disease is most common; the disease takes its name from Lyme, Connecticut. Half of the state's counties have high radon potential, and winter sun is too weak to make much vitamin D.

01

Lyme disease and blacklegged ticks

CDC counts Connecticut as a high-incidence Lyme state, with about 56 cases per 100,000 people in 2022. Blacklegged ticks also spread anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Most infections come from tiny nymph ticks in late spring and summer, in yards as well as woods.

SourcesSurveillance for Lyme Disease After Implementation of a Revised Case Definition — United States, 2022 (CDC MMWR)Where Ticks Live (CDC)
Check for ticksAs neededAfter time in grass or woods, check your whole body, shower within two hours and dry your clothes on high heat. Use insect repellentAs neededUse an EPA-registered repellent on exposed skin when mosquitoes or ticks are around.
02

Radon in the southern counties

EPA places four of Connecticut's eight counties in Zone 1, its highest radon-potential category: Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Homes anywhere can run high, so test regardless of county.

SourcesEPA Map of Radon Zones and Supplemental Information (US EPA)Health Risk of Radon (US EPA)
Test your home for radonAs neededRadon is invisible and odorless, so a simple test is the only way to know your level. Fix it at 4 pCi/L or higher.
03

Weak winter sun and vitamin D

Connecticut is at about the latitude of Boston, where a classic study found winter sun made no vitamin D in skin from November through February. For several months a year, food is your main source.

SourcesInfluence of season and latitude on the cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D3 (Webb, Kline and Holick, 1988)Vitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements)
Get vitamin D from foodDailyEat fatty fish, fortified milk and UV-exposed mushrooms so you are not relying on the sun alone. Ask your doctor about vitamin DYearlyIf you get little sun or few vitamin D foods, ask at your checkup whether testing or a supplement makes sense for you.

When to see a professional

See a doctor for an expanding rash, fever, facial droop or joint swelling in the weeks after a tick bite.