The Middlesex Tick Taskforce Wants to Know: Are You At Risk?

Submitted by the Bedford Board of  Health

The Middlesex Tick Taskforce has been busy this summer getting the word out on tick-borne illness prevention. During your next visit to local trails, you may find newly created “One Bite Can Change Your Life” cards with information on ticks and tick-borne illness prevention.

As part of its educational campaign, the taskforce has also created a short survey. The results will allow local boards of health to better understand their town residents’ baseline knowledge of tick-borne illnesses, experience with these diseases, and risk of exposure, in order to tailor future educational programs toward the needs of their communities. The survey also contains answers to questions about ticks, tick-borne illnesses, and prevention strategies for residents and their pets.

You are invited to take the survey online at https://tinyurl.com/MiddlesexTickSurvey.

Be on the lookout for the Task Force’s new traveling tick prevention display. You can’t miss the brightly dressed scarecrow accompanied by her display of educational materials. The scarecrow made an appearance at Springs Brook Park and will be found in at Bedford Day on September 21st. Stop by to speak with a representative about prevention and to pick up tick-borne illness bookmarks, landscaping brochures, tick identification cards, and more. You may also pick up these materials at the Board of Health office.

If you are looking for more information on tick bite prevention, be sure to watch this excellent short informational video, recently produced by Carlisle Health Department:

The Middlesex Tick Task Force

Comprised of representatives from Acton, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham, Wayland, and Weston, the Middlesex Tick Task Force formed in Fall 2012. The groups’ goals are to increase awareness of tick-borne diseases in our towns, to educate residents about effective prevention measures, and to promote inter-town collaboration about these diseases in Middlesex County.  The Task force recognizes that tick-borne diseases are now endemic in our towns and that residents need information about effective prevention measures they can take to protect themselves, including knowing the signs and symptoms of disease, the life-cycle of the deer tick, how to do a “tick check” after being outside and to safely remove an embedded tick, and the importance of self-advocacy and early medical treatment for tick-borne diseases.