Health District Issues

Health Alert Reminder

Ticks have declared open season on the residents of Newtown. As of July 18, a total of 328 tick specimens have been submitted to the Health District for testing.

 The Health District sends the ticks to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for testing for the spirochetes that cause Lyme disease. To date, results for 177 specimens have been received. Approximately 29 percent of the ticks sent out for testing have been positive.

 “Another useful piece of information from this testing is that approximately 72 percent of the ticks have not become engorged. This is fairly good news,” said Health District Director Donna McCarthy. “What this means is that through daily tick checks, about 72 percent of the ticks have been found and removed before they’ve had time to feed and potentially infect.”

“This is our next best defense –– daily tick checks and prompt and proper removal of ticks,” she said.

Check for ticks every day and especially after being in the great outdoors, and be sure to check children and pets.

Remove ticks with fine tipped tweezers, grasping just behind where the mouthparts enter the skin, and pulling upward in a slow and steady motion. Please do not squeeze them with fingers, do not use petroleum jelly, a match, or any other extraneous objects, Ms McCarthy said.

The Health District sends ticks that have been removed from Newtown residents to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for testing, at no charge to the resident. It does take four to six weeks to get the results for the tick; so it is imperative that health be monitored for any signs or symptoms of tick borne illness, she said.

Symptoms and signs of early Lyme disease include but are not limited to fatigue, chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and a characteristic skin rash, called erythema migrans. Later or advanced Lyme disease can have varying symptoms that can include arthritis, nervous system abnormalities, and behavioral changes; anytime a person’s health status is in question, a doctor should be consulted. The Health District recommends that when parents remove a tick from their child that they contact their pediatrician and allow the pediatrician to guide them.

The Newtown Health District wants residents to enjoy the summer and the great outdoors, but urges caution.

“Do what you can to limit your exposure — protective clothing, repellents, avoid habitats — but then do a daily tick check and promptly and properly remove the ticks,” Ms McCarthy said.

Anyone who has any questions or who would like additional information, may contact the Health District at 270-4291 or email: newtownhd@earthlink.net.