Tick-Borne Disease Panel

Begins Work On Final Report

By Kendra Bobowick

As daffodils poke through the ground and temperatures lean toward spring, the Tick-Borne Disease Action Committee also moves into a new phase of deliberations. Emerging are the beginnings of a final report that members hope to complete in coming weeks.

As discussion ended Wednesday night, committee chair Dr Robert Grossman said, “Hopefully by the end of April we’ll make the report. I think that’s attainable.” Its details, organization, and recommendations will occupy members’ time in coming days.

Ideas across the table this week began with Mark Alexander, who raised the prospect of deer. “How does the deer issue fit with disease?” he asked. “Is it a separate bucket?”

He asked if their report would address deer per category: motor vehicle accidents, disease, the forests, etc.

With a different idea of how to present the deer’s role to the task force’s final report, Kim Harrison concluded, “We should put out all the data and let the selectmen decide.” The task force will assemble a comprehensive report including information, expert speakers’ summaries, citations, costs, explanations of area towns’ similar reports, references, and recommendations for the Board of Selectmen, which will then make any decisions about tick-borne diseases prevention in Newtown.

As members talked about educating the public, assembling data regarding motor vehicle accidents, deforestation, the tick’s life-cycle, and methods for organizing their report, resident Dave Shugarts interjected, “I hate to be the skunk at the garden party, but …” He noted that the deer led to economic issues. How much damage do they do to personal landscaping, to nurseries? “We should make an attempt,” he said, to “quantify” the financial stress caused by deer in Newtown.

Neil Chaudhary, who has assembled thorough motor vehicle versus deer data, agreed to include financial details in his section.

Maggie Shew saw another financial trail, saying, “We should talk to the vets in the area.” With three dogs all treated for Lyme disease “at $120 a pop” in the last year, she said, “That’s a huge burden.” How many households are like hers, she wondered. Making another point she said, “Dogs really are sentinels for human beings.” Ms Harrison added to the thought: “Another way to know what’s going on with disease in town is to look at the dogs.”

Other costs would include residents’ visits to the doctor. “If you ball-park it, I think it’s pretty huge,” Ms Shaw said.

Members talked about how to present cost-related information in the report.

What about deer management recommendations, Mr Alexander asked. “Do we vote on if we kill deer? Or break it down to sharpshooting, controlled hunts,” he asked.

Conversation bounced to voting. Mr Chaudhary asked, “I envision a vote, and if something is unanimous, we’re done, throw [that topic] away and get to disagreements and get into the meat of it.”

Dr Grossman noted, “I think there will be less disagreements than you think.” Taking another tangent in conversation, Dr Grossman asked, “Anyone want to say anything about the white footed mouse?” Mary Gaudet-Wilson said, “I think we have to, it’s part of the life-cycle.”

As members talked about what information to include, how to prepare the report, and their coming weeks subcommittee meetings to coordinate different topics of consideration, conversation turned to the “orphan not assigned here,” Mr Alexander said. “How do we tell if what we’re doing is successful,” he asked. “Tick drags? Surveys?” Hearing those two options Dr Grossman said, “It’s expensive.”

“Well …” Mr Alexander said. Mr Chaudhary said, “We can give suggestions not to just monitor, but monitor how?”

Members debated vaccines, but tabled the discussion.

Something Better Than Nothing?

At the committee’s February 24 meeting, member Dr Peter Licht looked ahead to a final report and concluded, “I think we want to do something if that something is good.”

He also rejected the thought that “something is better than nothing,” as the group grappled with what it will recommend and present to selectmen regarding how best to reduce the incidences of tick-borne disease among residents. “Look at things we can do to help, that’s the crux of the committee,” Dr Licht said later in the meeting. Just “doing something for the sake of it” is not what the committee wants, he said.

“So, we agree,” said Dr Grossman. “We want something that will be useful.” Vice Chair Dr Michele McLeod felt that “something without impact, just to look like we’re doing something,” is unacceptable.

Countering that concept, however, was another idea that even something would benefit the forests, maybe result in a few less car accidents a year, but not necessarily resolve the prevalent disease rates in town.

Instead, the final report should confirm that “yes” Newtown has a tick-borne disease problem, and “any recommendations should have a reasonable chance of being successful,” said Dr Licht. Both he and Dr McLeod also mentioned a recommendation for measuring success or failure of measures to decrease tick-borne disease.

Regarding the problem, Dr Licht hopes to define its magnitude, include the tick’s life cycle, methods — there are more than one, he noted — of combating the problem, he said. “Mr deer,” as he refers to the deer population, emerges in the committee’s equation in several places, and should be addressed in relation to the forest, motor vehicle accidents, but primarily as the deer relates to Lyme, he proposed.

Member Mark Alexander said, “I think we should make recommendations on all [issues] with the tick-borne disease elevated.” The panel agreed. Members also spoke about including who agreed or disagreed, and why.

Various reports, summaries, and information coordinated by Mr Alexander, Kim Harrison, and Maggie Shaw all found acknowledgement Wednesday as members discussed what pieces of information to include, and how. Would various guest speakers’ summaries become part of an appendix, for example?

Members spoke of their personal views. Regarding the final report, Dr McLeod said, “We have to try to do this … and be positive about it. We need to look a little bit past the wording and how we feel and get the data down.” Continuing this thought, she mentioned a recent conversation that she and Dr Grossman had with First Selectman Pat Llodra regarding their charge. “She told us it’s not necessary to interpret data — they want to see it themselves for their own analysis.”

Noting that there will be areas “where we are split” in opinions, or “you get people looking at data differently,” Dr Licht said, “We’ll let selectmen read the various arguments and let them decide.”

He said at another point in the meeting, “We all come to this group with our own histories with Lyme and we’re all passionate about how we feel, but our past affiliations are not a factor …”

“Right,” said Dr Grossman. Dr Licht reiterated, “The committee must make certain recommendations we feel must have a reasonable chance of being successful.” Again his comments met agreement.

Notations of costs associated with various methods of deer or tick population reductions should be included. They talked about chapters to address education, about Lyme, about the problem, and “how to deal with it,” Dr Licht said.

Upcoming events open to the public include a Lyme Disease Seminar and Health Fair on Wednesday, April 7. The fair runs from 6 to 9 pm at Western Connecticut State University’s Westside student center. Free admission. Guest speakers are from 7 to 9.

Also at WestConn: Connecticut State Entomologist Kirby Stafford will discuss the origins and nature of Lyme disease and means to prevent its infectious spread to humans in a lecture Thursday, March 18.

“Fight the Bite: Ticks and Lyme Disease,” presented as part of the WestConn “Science at Night” lecture series, will be at 7 pm in Room 125 of the Science Building on the university’s midtown campus, 181 White Street. A reception with light refreshments will be held in the Science Building Atrium following the lecture. Admission will be free and the public is invited to attend.

On March 19 members from the Department of Agriculture will be conducting forest inspections at several locations in Newtown. Tick Borne Disease Action Committee members will attend.