Let's See Some Evidence
Letâs See Some Evidence
To the Editor:
Reason and science are needed in the discussion of Lyme disease and deer tick management in Newtown.
I donât understand how we can be discussing opening our town to a mass-killing of deer without any evidence that it will achieve the stated goal of reducing Lyme disease in Newtown.
In his rather acerbic letter of last week [âMisleadingâ Statistics Came From The CDC,â Letter Hive, 1/23/09] David Shugarts simply restated the statistics on Lyme disease cases reported in Connecticut in 2007. A quick reading of the May 2008 edition of the Connecticut Epidemiologist (http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/Vol28No2_CLR_FNL.pdf) shows clearly that changes in the way the state collects data are responsible for the increase in reported cases of Lyme disease. These statistics show that there are more cases of Lyme disease in Connecticut than previously reported, but they do not show an increase in the actual number of cases in the state year-over-year. To claim them as evidence of a 71 percent increase in Lyme disease cases is incorrect and misleading.
I look forward to seeing some evidence before we as a community take up the decision to open our lands to hunting, with all the dangers that accompany hunting close to residential properties.
Sincerely,
Timothy C. Stan
7 Johnny Appleseed Drive, Sandy Hook               January 27, 2009.