Camp Counselors Take Preventative Measures Against Ticks

By Kendra Bobowick

“We invite her in every year,” said Newtown Parks & Rec Assistant Director of Recreation RoseAnn Reggiano.

“I talk to them about ticks,” said Health District Director Donna Culbert, regarding teen counselors for summer camps. Although the job of removing ticks is left to parents, counselors learn to take precautions. And while camping season is months away, ticks — which never really disappear even in winter months — are more active in the warmer weather. The warmer weather also finds residents outside in the garden, the yard, hiking, playing sports, or enjoying Newtown’s parks and trails.

The message Ms Culbert provides to camp counselors is an “every day” message. She wrote about the “importance of checking for ticks and for the rash.  Every day.”

A rash that often resembles a bull’s-eye and that spreads is one symptom that manifests often, but not in everyone, as tick-borne disease committee members have often mentioned during meetings. Ms Culbert also reminds residents and the camping counselors: “Not everyone develops the rash.”

People should “be mindful of how they are feeling,” she continued.  “All of the tick-borne diseases may be accompanied by flulike symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and joint pain.  Some patients may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

“Some infected individuals have no recognized illness, or manifest only nonspecific symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.”

One of the first things Ms Culbert does is asks if there is any family history of Lyme or  other tick-borne disease.

“I tell them about the risks of tick bites. I tell them where ticks like to hang out,” she said. The woods, leaf litter, dark or moist areas are among the highly likely places for people to pick up a tick. Although ticks do not fly or jump, they will “wait on vegetation and grab on,” Ms Culbert wrote.

Use repellant, she tells them, and wear protective clothing.

“Long pants, long-sleeve shirts, tie hair back, light colored clothing makes it easier to spot them,” she said. 

Most important, she said, “I tell them to take it seriously.”

When checking for ticks, “they need to look in all the nooks and crannies of their bodies because ticks like the warm, moist dark places, armpits, behind knees, groin area, bra line, as well as the hairline, scalp, anywhere.”

As she has stressed in the past, Ms Culbert said, “Don’t panic and tear it to pieces. It will come off.”

Ticks attach, but do not burrow into the skin, she said.

Hoping to set a conscientious example of how to dress, for one, returning counselor Tom Gilbert said, “If I hike, I wear big sox with my pants tucked in. I also tell campers to check constantly.”

Although  he tries to stay away from the woods with his camp groups, he said, “Ticks are everywhere.”

“The counselors keep an eye out for ticks,” said Ms Reggiano. “Once a tick is found on a camper the parents are called immediately.”

According to Erin Kramer and Jen Graham, counselors for Treadwell Park campers, activities are kept away from the woods, and counselors will check the campers as necessary.

(See related video with Jen and Erin talking about their counseling and tick prevention at NewtownBee.com.)