Health District BLAST-ing Tick Awareness Message Around Town

By John Voket

Health District Director Donna Culbert dismisses the notion that she is popping up all over town like a busy tick, although she would love it if more Newtowners took notice of how easy it is to reduce the spread of tick-borne diseases through the district’s BLAST initiative.

Ms Culbert has been seen outside the Newtown Middle School during budget referendums, and more recently at the Newtown High School Health Fair.

“The tick problem just does not go away,” she told The Newtown Bee this week. Much to her dismay, it seems the problems associated with the pesky blood suckers may be getting worse.

“As of Friday, May 18, 95 ticks had been submitted to the Health District office for testing — in comparison to 85 ticks at this time in 2011, and 58 in 2010,” she said. “Can I conclude that there are more ticks in Newtown based on these submissions? Not necessarily, because we did not systematically collect them, but I can conclusively say that more people are removing them and bringing them to us.”

 And when she and the health district staffers talk to residents, they say there are more ticks than ever.

“It’s good that they are removing them; not so good that the ticks are out there and digging into our residents,” Ms Culbert said.

As a result, the Newtown Health District continues to promote its BLAST message — to do those things to reduce exposure to ticks bites and ultimately tick-borne disease. It is important to be aware of the risks of tick-borne disease — everyone should understand that Newtown is a community where Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are widespread. Education and awareness will greatly improve one’s ability to prevent tick-borne diseases, she noted.

Besides the hundreds of pieces of literature she distributed at the referendum and health fair, Ms Culbert keeps an on-going BLAST table well-stocked in the corridor at the municipal center.

According to Ms Culbert, BLAST is an acronym for five simple actions an individual can take to reduce tick borne disease:

B stands for bathing soon after spending time outdoors. A recent study showed that people who bathed or showered within two 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 daily for ticks and remove them properly. Speedy removal helps avoid disease transmission. L is also a reminder to look for expanding rashes and report them to your physician in a timely manner.

A encourages residents to avoid ticks when possible, and when they cannot, to become educated about repellants and apply them appropriately.

“Know where ticks live and avoid those areas,” Ms Culbert said. “Ticks don’t like sunny, dry areas; they like shade, shelter. and moisture. Ticks can be found in leaf litter, shaded gardens, weeds, tall grass, shrubs, low trees, and groundcover like pachysandra.”

Anyone venturing into these areas of heightened tick concentrations is advised to apply repellent.

“Studies have shown that applying 30-40 percent DEET-based repellant to skin is effective at repelling ticks,” Ms Culbert said. “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 at http://npic.orst.edu

S stands for safeguarding your yard to reduce your possible tick exposure. Spraying the yard can reduce tick abundance. Complete information on tick management is available at the CTAgricultural Experiment Station website www.ct.gov/case.

“Again, the use of pesticide is a personal decision,” she added.

Additional safeguards include creating a “Tick Safe Zone,” in which homeowners manage their yards to make to make them less hospitable to ticks by doing the following: remove leaf litter, clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edges of lawns; place wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas; and many other methods.

Deer play an important role in the tick’s life cycle, often serving as the third and final blood meal. Deer should be discouraged from entering your yard by using deer-resistant plantings and residents should not feed deer.

The Health District has an excellent brochure that can guide homeowners with making changes in their yards.

Finally, T reminds everyone about treatment.

“In general, people who begin medical treatment soon after becoming infected have a quicker and more complete recovery from Lyme and other tick-borne disease,” the health district official said. “Learning to recognize the symptoms and receiving early medical treatment will help to prevent more serious illness.”

*Erythema migrans (EM) is a rash and can be the first symptom of Lyme disease. Not everyone gets or sees the rash. Other symptoms can include fever, headache, stiff neck, body aches, and tiredness.

*Lyme disease can also affect your nervous system, causing symptoms such as stiff neck, severe headache (meningitis), temporary paralysis of the facial muscles (Bell’s palsy), numbness, pain or weakness in the limbs, and poor muscle movement. Other more serious long term affects may include memory loss, difficulty with concentration and change in mood or sleep habits.

Less commonly, people who have not taken antibiotics may develop other problems weeks, months, or even years after they were infected with Lyme bacteria. Receiving early medical treatment is the key to preventing long term health effects.

“It is also important to treat your pets,” Ms Culbert said. “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 because 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 at 203-270-4291 or e-mail donna.culbert@newtown-ct.gov.