Ticks that are removed from a Newtown resident can be brought to the Newtown Health District office, and from there it will be sent out to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, where it will be tested for the presence of the spirochetes that cause Lyme Disease. When the tick is brought into the Health District office, the person presenting the tick will be asked to fill out a short form that includes the name of the person the tick was found on, their address, telephone number, the age of the person, the gender of the person and the body part where the tick was found. This is done at no cost to the person presenting the tick.
When the Health District receives the results for the tick testing, it is logged in the District's notebook and will also be logged on this website, by an ID number. No personal information will be distributed. If the tick tests postitive, a District staff member will also call the phone number provided at the time of tick submission and inform them of the postive result.
Due to the large numbers of ticks that are submitted, the District does not call to report the negative results. The results will be posted on the website, and submitters are also welcome to call the Health District office approximately 3-4 weeks after submission and can receive the result over the telephone.
Submitters of ticks are strongly encouraged to pay close attention to their health after a tick bite. The tick testing is helpful information but cannot be used a diagnostic tool. It takes approximately 3-4 and sometimes 5 weeks to receive results from the CT Agricultural Experiment Station. Lyme Disease, or other tick borne illnesses, can onset prior to obtaining tick test results, therefore it is important to monitor health, communicate and possibly visit with a personal physician.
Ticks are almost everywhere - take care to reduce possible exposure - and do a tick check every day.
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