Tick Reminders

In Backpacks

The combination of seasonal mid-April weather and a blissful week free from school responsibilities could bring Newtown residents in contact with the first crop of tick nymphs. With that in mind the Newtown Health District has dispatched its annual package of warning and prevention materials home via school backpacks, according to agency director Donna Culbert.

The Newtown Health District has distributed its 2008 “Lyme Green” flyer to the elementary, intermediate and middle schools to bring home. The flyer, “It is time…..to beat Lyme!!!!” packed with information about the risks of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illness, and ways to protect the entire family.

Ms Culbert said she purposely included a statement at the top of the document reflecting her frustration about an elusive cure for the insidious condition.

“We have no evidence that we are gaining on this menacing disease, and so it is more important than ever to be aware of your risk and to protect yourself and your family,” the statement reads.

Ms Culbert asks parents to look for this important flyer and read it with children.

“If you don’t have a student in Newtown, please check our website, it will be posted there,” she said. “It cannot be emphasized enough — it only takes one time of not using personal protection (protective clothing, repellents, daily, thorough tick checks) and prompt removal of ticks, and the result is a tick with a blood meal.”

She also noted that everyone’s body chemistry is slightly different, and may respond differently to a tick-borne infection.

“It is critically important to pay attention to how you are feeling, she added. “If you have any symptoms of illness, it is important that you promptly contact your physician.”