The Middlesex Tick Task Force invites residents to attend a “Let’s Talk about Ticks” presentation to be held on Wednesday, April 30th from 7-9pm at the Lincoln Schools Auditorium (Ballfield Rd., Lincoln). This event will feature three presentations from prominent tick experts. Dr. Alfred DeMaria, Massachusetts Department of Public Health State Epidemiologist, will talk about Tick-borne Disease Awareness and Prevention and provide tips on how to protect you and your family from ticks. He will also introduce the audience to emerging tick-borne diseases such as Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis.
Kurt Upham, President of ohDeer, Inc., will present on Landscaping Ideas to Reduce Tick Exposure in Your Yard, including safe solutions for deer, tick, and mosquito control. Finally, Dr. Stephen Rich, UMass Laboratory of Medical Zoology will update the audience on New Tick Testing Program for Residents. If you have been bitten by a tick, depending on where you live, you may be eligible to submit the tick free or low cost testing to see if it carries the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, Babesiosis, or Anaplasmosis.
This free event is open to the public. For more information, please contact the Wayland Health Department at 508-358-3617.
Comprised of representatives from Acton, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham, Wayland, and Weston, the Middlesex Tick Task Force formed in 2012. The group’s goals are to increase awareness of tick-borne diseases in our towns, to educate residents about effective prevention measures, and to promote inter-town collaboration about these diseases in Middlesex County. The Task Force recognizes that tick-borne diseases are now endemic in our towns and that residents need information about effective prevention measures they can take to protect themselves, including knowing the signs and symptoms of disease, the life-cycle of the deer tick, how to do a “tick check” after being outside and to safely remove an embedded tick, and the importance of self-advocacy and early medical treatment for tick-borne diseases.
