Government & Politics
If You Get Bit by a Tick this Summer, Darien Health Dept Can Test the Tick for Lyme Disease
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The Connecticut Department of Public Health is predicting increased tick population this year with more of them positive for Lyme Disease, meaning increased risk for illness. “We want to remind people to be vigilant and check themselves after being outside and also that we send ticks to be tested,” Darien Health Director David Knauf said. So far this year, the town Health Department has sent 20 ticks to the state for testing, and half were found to have Lyme disease, which is similar to the proportion of ticks with Lyme from elsewhere around the state. Testing is free, but several requirements need to be met (see below) before the state will test a tick. Here’s a Darien Health Department announcement about avoiding tick bites and getting any ticks that bit you checked for Lyme disease:
The Health Department accepts ticks and submits them to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) for testing.