‘Misleading’ Statistics

Came From The CDC

To the Editor:

In a letter last week [“Lyme Disease Battle Should Not Rely On Misleading Claims,” Letter Hive, 1/16/09], Mark Alexander asserted that I have produced “wildly misleading” statistics, even though I have consistently cited my source, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and their data for the latest available period, 2006–2007.

The table I have cited can be found on the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_rptdLymeCasesbyState.htm. Anyone can go there and find the data.

As a lawyer whose profession is to argue, if Mr Alexander considers these statistics “wildly misleading” and yet — he would have to agree — they are the statistics published by the US Centers for Disease Control, then perhaps he should argue that issue with the CDC.

Also, whatever the methods by which they might have been prepared by our Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), and notwithstanding any other unofficial statistics the DPH may separately speak of, what I have cited are the Lyme disease statistics that our DPH reports to the CDC. Our DPH is well aware that the numbers will be added to the CDC table each year.

So if Mr Alexander wishes to make it seem that our DPH’s report to our federal government is “wildly misleading,” perhaps he should argue with the Connecticut DPH as well.

As I have always consistently mentioned also, the 2006–2007 figures have been the latest available from the CDC, but new statistics are due out soon, now that 2008 has ended.

To avoid any possibility that Mr Alexander himself could be considered misleading, it should be acknowledged that he is an officer in The Animal Center of Newtown, whose founder, Monica Roberto, is his wife.

So, when they individually send letters to The Bee from the same household on alternate weeks, it should not seem a coincidence.

Nor should it seem a coincidence that a small core group of dedicated animal rights activists are writing “tag team” letters to The Bee.

According to their website, the “Team” at Animal Center of Newtown includes: Mark Alexander, Esq, Secretary; Kim Coleman, Founder & Treasurer; Marjorie Cramer, MD, Advisory Board; Robin Olson, Creative Design; Janice Paik, Adoptions; Monica Roberto, Founder & President; Lisa Roberto, Director.

If some of these names seem strangely familiar to readers, it may be because they have been writing many of the local letters to the editor in The Bee for the past several months. They have done their best to make it seem a flood of letters.

By published survey, at least 4,000 people in Newtown have been treated for Lyme disease, some getting cured promptly and some suffering for months or years. If each of these people were to write a letter, it would take The Bee at least five years to publish them all.

David A. Shugarts

19 Wendover Road, Newtown                                   January 21, 2009(Mr Shugarts is a member of the Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force and Newtown liaison to the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance.)