Newtown Health District: Yale Tick Study Recruiting Local Homeowners

By John Voket

As Health District Director Donna Culbert watches the snow recede from local homes and into the far corners of yards and lots, she knows residents will soon be venturing out into those areas to start cleaning up from one of the worst winters in recent memory.

And she knows that even during these still chilly final weeks of winter, Lyme-infected ticks are lurking there, fully awake and hungry.

That explains why she is so motivated to invite qualified Newtowners to participate in a fully funded study to determine if a one-time pesticide application will minimize or eliminate tick infestations and reduce tick-borne disease or its potential for occurring to participating homeowners.

“Newtown was chosen among the towns in this study because we have the highest verified incidence of tick-borne disease,” she told The Bee this week. “Registration for the project is open now.”

The Yale School of Public Health’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP) is recruiting homeowners in Newtown and eight other Fairfield County communities to participate in the Lyme and other tick-borne diseases prevention study (LTDPS).

Individuals with single-family homes on at least half an acre of property may be eligible to participate in the study, co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Connecticut Department of Public Health.

According to Ms Culbert, all towns involved in the study were also chosen because they have full-time health directors or departments.

“Basically we want to know if a single application of a common acaricide can reduce tick populations and as a result, tick-borne disease,” she said. “There’s nothing experimental about the application, though. It’s similar to what homeowners might contract themselves from a commercial pest control service.”

As part of the study, half the properties will receive a single springtime application of this widely-used pesticide and the other half a placebo (water) to control ticks. The one-time spraying will only be around the yard perimeter.

Following the application, participants will be interviewed by telephone at the beginning of the study and complete e-mail surveys at monthly intervals from May through October to assess their encounters with ticks (e.g., numbers attached and numbers found crawling on people) and the number of tick-borne illnesses among household residents.

Findings from the treated properties will be compared to those from the placebo properties to determine if a springtime application of the commonly used pesticide can reduce rates of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, according to Yale’s EIP spokesperson.

“It’s terrific and unfortunate all at the same time that Newtown has been selected for this study,” Ms Culbert said. “Terrific because we will be participating in important work to help learn about preventing tick-borne disease, and terrific because it gives the Health District a new opportunity to engage the community about this serious problem, tick-borne disease.”

At the same time, the health district official said it is unfortunate because Newtown already has such a high rate of tick-borne disease occurrence that the community has been selected to participate in the study.

“It is helpful whenever we can elevate the discussion about tick-borne disease in our community, and remind people about their risks and steps they can take to protect themselves,” Ms Culbert said, “and always to be sure to monitor their health status and seek out their health care provider when necessary.”

With that in mind, she is also making available alternative information to local homeowners who want to begin employing organic or nonchemical landscaping practices to deter or minimize tick infestations. The pamphlet is available to anyone, regardless of their participation in the study, or whether they qualify.

“We just want to take every opportunity to elevate the conversation, and re-engage people in Newtown and the district about tick-borne illness,” she said. “The bottom line — if you live in Newtown, there’s an elevated and continuous risk of being bitten by a Lyme-infected tick.”

To request more information or to enroll in the study, call 888-668-1856 or contact the health district office at 203-270-4291. Learn more at www.publichealth.yale.edu/eip