"Tick Talk": Preventing Tick Bites and Tick-borne Diseases
with Links to "Tick Talk" Video Presentations

As we head outdoors to hike in the woods and fields, or to work and play in our yards, we need to be aware of the presence of ticks, at all times of year when the temperature is above freezing. Ticks like damp, shady, leafy areas, where they can wait for a person or an animal to come into direct contact with them. That contact can lead to a tick bite, and tick bites can lead to a number of serious diseases, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Powassan, and Lyme.  What can you do to protect yourself and your pets while enjoying the outdoors?

1.  Learn about the life cycle of ticks, their habitat, and the symptoms of tick-borne diseases

2.  Protect yourself from tick bites by wearing light-colored long pants, long sleeve shirts, and a hat when outdoors; tuck your pants into your socks

3.  Consider using an insect repellent containing DEET

4.  Always check yourself (and your pets) for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard

5.  Reduce tick habitat by keeping your lawn cut short, and by clearing brush and leaf litter from around your home 

6.  If you’ve been bitten, remove the tick as soon as possible, wash the area, and make a note of the location of the bite and the date in case you develop symptoms; you can save the tick for identification; consider calling your physician. Learn more at MA Public Health’s Tick Disease webpage.

For the past several years, the NRWA has been working on a project to help the public become more informed about tick bite and tick-borne disease prevention, sponsoring numerous "Tick Talks" in watershed communities.  These talks have featured panels of experts on ticks and tick-borne disease including public health officials, physicians, and veterinarians.

If you were unable to attend one of these "Tick Talks", you may wish to view one of these videos of recent presentations. (Please note, the basic presentation by Dr. Katie Brown from the MA Dept. of Public Health is generally redundant in these videos, although open discussion may vary, as does the material provided by additional speakers.)

          "Tick Talk" in Bolton, MA on August, 23, 2016 with Dr. Katie Brown, MA Dept. of Public Health, and Dr. Michelle Bianco, DVM, Mid-State Mobile Veterinary Clinic.  General discussion of tick life cycle, tick bite and tick-borne disease prevention for humans and pets.

          "Tick Talk: Lyme Legislative Forum" in Harvard, MA on October 18, 2016 with Senator Jamie Eldridge, co-sponsor of the Lyme treatment coverage mandate; Sheila M. Statlender, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist, member of the MA Lyme Disease Legislative Task Force and former “Special Commission to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Incidence and Impacts of Lyme Disease”; and Donna Castle, Lyme Disease Advocate, and member of the MA Lyme Disease Legislative Task Force.  Special focus on newly legislated Massachusetts healthcare mandate requiring insurance companies to cover longer term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease. Co-sponsored by the MA Lyme Disease Legislative Task Force.

         "Tick Talk: Horses and Lyme Disease" in Pepperell, MA on March 21, 2017 with  Dr. Katie Brown, MA Dept. of Public Health, and Dr. Kerri Mitton, DVM in Shirley MA.  General discussion of tick life cycle, tick bite and tick-borne disease prevention for humans and pets with specialist on horses and Lyme disease. Co-sponsored by the Pepperell Board of Health.

         "Tick Talk" in Harvard, MA on May 2, 2017 with Dr. Katie Brown, MA Dept. of Public Health.  General discussion of tick life cycle, tick bite and tick-borne disease prevention for humans and pets. Co-sponsored by the Harvard Board of Health, Harvard Conservation Commission.

The NRWA’s participation is funded in part by a grant from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. 

Be informed and be tick smart so you can enjoy our great outdoors!