Join the Walden Forum for a discussion with Sam Telford, Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Telford has been studying tick-borne illnesses since 1984 and is a world-renowned authority on the subject. Telford advises local, state and national organizations on public health interventions against tick and mosquito-borne infections.

The forum will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, at the Wayland High School Auditorium, 264 Old Connecticut Path, Wayland.

“Lyme disease alone is enough of an argument to take action to reduce risks, let alone that there are four other deer tick-transmitted infections,” says Telford. “In some New England communities, as many as a third of residents have been exposed to at least one tick-borne infection.”

The talk will review tick borne infections and why we are experiencing an increase in prevalence and distribution. A large body of knowledge provides specific recommendations for reducing risk, but it’s not easy to implement control measures, says Telford. “It certainly is a problem trying to change our culture, trying to get people committed to doing something,” he says. “One obstacle is that what you see around you is natural. It isn’t. Unfortunately a lot of conservationists are too rigid about altering our environment.” Public education about tick-borne diseases and reducing deer herds, while controversial, may be a good place to start, according to Telford.

An article in HealthDay News in 2013 noted: “About 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, which is about 10 times higher than the number of cases reported each year to the U.S. (CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” And according to Susan Little, DVM, PhD, the 2015 Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) Parasite Forecast shows Lyme disease is still a high risk and spreading. The report predicts a higher than usual threat in areas where the disease is currently widespread. The disease appears to be spreading in a southwesterly direction. Areas of particular concern are New England, the Upper Ohio River Valley and the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Sam Telford – SD – Harvard University – 1990, MS – Harvard University – 1987, BA – Johns Hopkins University – 1983. Dr. Telford has been a member of the The Central Mass Mosquito Control Commission (CMMCP) since 2008. Dr. Telford has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications on the ecology and epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. Dr. Telford has a strong commitment to public health and has vast experience in research and knowledge of vector-borne pathogens.

Tufts University Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health is dedicated to the greater public health. This department combines important areas of expertise within Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. These are public/population health, international medicine, wildlife and conservation medicine and infectious disease research. The alignment ofthese areas promotes cross-disciplinary strengths that are important in improving human, animal and ecosystem health locally, nationally and internationally.

About the Walden Forum – The Walden Forum is a free public Distinguished Speaker/event series that brings people together to talk, listen and learn from one another in a civil environment. It fosters discussion about important ethical, religious, political, scientific, social and other topics in a live-forum setting. Dynamic speakers challenge and expand our views about the world around us and offer the opportunity for an open discussion of these issues in a convenient, local setting. Featuring world-class speakers on great topics throughout the year, the Walden Forum is a non-religious community program supported by First Parish in Wayland and others. For more information go to www.waldenforum.org or write to info@waldenforum.org.

Walden Forum is a non-profit 501(c)3 and is fully tax deductible. We are currently supported in part by STAPLES; Baldwin Insurance; The Beard Family Foundation Wayland; the Cultural Councils of Wayland, Weston, Natick and Westborough; and Friends of the Forum.