Tickborne Disease is a serious issue in our communities. The best defense, at this time, is understanding your risk and the things you can do to protect your self and your family. Please visit the links below for valuable information - which will allow you to better understand the ticks, your risk, and actions you can take.
Check out HVCEO's Tickborne Illness Resource Center
Scroll down this page to BLAST Program
Link to the Tick Management Handbook (takes a few moments to download)
SEE TICK TESTING INFORMATION BELOW
NEW TICK TESTING CRITERIA - EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2006
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) tests ticks for the pathogen that causes Lyme Disease. The CAES had to reduce the effort and cost for this effort. Research has revealed that flat (unengorged), infected nymphs or adults of Ixodes scapularis (the blacklegged tick) do not transmit the Lyme Disease agent until blood is ingested - tick becomes engorged. The probability of pathogen transmission increases with time as proportionately more blood is ingested from the host.
Ticks that have ingested blood are considered engorged.
If the tick has not ingested blood - then it is NOT engorged, and it will not be tested.
Effective January 1, 2006, the CAES will accept all ticks for identification but will only test those Ixodes scapularis nymphs and females that have ingested human blood (are engorged). CAES staff will examine the ticks for blood. American dog ticks will be identified but not tested because these ticks are not an important vector of the Lyme Disease agent. This reduction in the numbers of flat ticks tested for the DNA for the Lyme Disease agent will greatly reduce laboratory costs and improve the CAES reporting of results on the blood-fed ticks.
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.
Be a Tick Fighter...BLAST Tick-Borne Diseases this Year!
Tick season is here and the Newtown Health District is promoting the BLAST Tick-Borne Diseases program. BLAST stands for the five most important things YOU and your family can do to stay safe from tick-borne diseases.
B stands for bathing soon after spending time outdoors. A recent study showed that people who bathed or showered within 2 hours of coming indoors did not contract Lyme disease as frequently as those who did not bathe or shower soon.
L reminds everyone to look their bodies over for ticks daily and remove them properly. Speedy removal helps avoid disease transmission. Remove ticks carefully by their mouth parts with a tweezer and save them in a plastic bag for identification. Contact your local health department for tick-testing policies and notify your physician if you have any concerns. “L” also reminds use to look for expanding rashes and report them to your physician in a timely manner. The painless erythema migrans (EM) rash sometimes seen with Lyme disease can often go unnoticed and will eventually disappear while the infection remains. Other early symptoms include fatigue, headache, fever, achy muscles and joints.
A encourages you to become educated about repellants and apply them appropriately. Studies have shown that applying 30-40% DEET-based repellant to skin is effective at repelling blacklegged (deer) ticks. Application of 0.5% permethrin-based insecticide to clothing is highly effective at repelling and even killing ticks. Clothing treated with permethrin can be washed several times and still retains its repellant properties. The use of repellants, while proven effective is a personal decision. For more information on tick repellants, visit the National Pesticide Information Center's
website. (npic.orst.edu)
S stands for spraying the yard to reduce tick abundance. Homeowners should consider the benefits of applying pesticide to the perimeter of their yards. Studies have shown that even one application of pesticide at the right time of year and in the best location can reduce blacklegged tick populations by 85 – 90%. Complete information on tick management is available at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station website.
(www.ct.gov/case)
T reminds everyone to treat your pets. Local veterinarians offer a variety of methods for protecting animals from tick-borne diseases. Dogs and cats increase one’s chances of exposure to Tick-Borne Disease. Pets can carry ticks in to the home on their fur. Pet owners should be cautious about sleeping with their pets.
For additional information on the BLAST Tick-Borne Disease prevention program, contact the Newtown Health District. Phone 203-270-4291 or email newtowndhd@earthlink.net
~ All four stages of Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged
or deer tick with dime for size comparison
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