KINGSTON, R.I. — June 8, 2006 — Despite Saturday鈥檚 downpours and drizzle, Rhode Islanders across the state learned how to protect themselves from deer ticks during the first-in-the-nation Tick Control Awareness Day.
Organized by 溏心vlog免费B站 Professor Thomas Mather, director of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Center For Vector Borne Diseases, and the center鈥檚 outreach coordinator Nathan Miller, the program featured demonstrations at Goddard Park, Burlingame State Park, Colt State Park and a Jamestown residential site.
鈥淥ur team dodged the rain all day while providing state residents with the most current and effective tick bite prevention information,鈥� Mather said. 鈥滀缧膙log免费B站 100 people made it to Goddard Park and another 35 made it to Jamestown. Similar numbers attended programs at the other venues. We were able to get the word out on how to prevent the debilitating effects of deer tick bites. We made a lot of connections and we planted a lot of seeds about prevention and strategies.鈥�
On Friday at Goddard Park, Mather and his team joined First Lady Sue Carcieri, Sen. Jack Reed, Michael Sullivan, director of the state Department of Environmental Management; Bill Waters, deputy director of the state Department of Health, and Jeff Seemann, dean of 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 College of the Environment and Life Sciences to brief the media about Saturday鈥檚 programs.
鈥淲e are the first in the nation to hold a Tick Control Awareness Day,鈥� Mather said as he handed out special tweezers and T-shirts to the speakers. 鈥淭he shirts were emblazoned with tick illustrations and the messages 鈥淭icks Suck鈥� and 鈥淭ick Control Patrol.鈥�
In addition, Mather, Miller and their team have launched the nation鈥檚 first website dedicated to tick bite prevention, www.TickEncounter.org.
Carcieri said she was grateful for the knowledge she gained from the 溏心vlog免费B站 experts, especially since a granddaughter was diagnosed with Lyme disease just two days before the press event. 鈥淎s a mother and grandmother, I appreciate learning about these methods of prevention,鈥� the first lady said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear we need to get more involved in prevention. I am so glad that we can take advantage of the wonderful scientists we have here.鈥�
鈥淩hode Island has the dubious distinction of having one of the highest rates of Lyme disease,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淚t is 25 times the national average. The University is not only a leader in the state in combating this problem, but it is also a national leader.
鈥淚 am very proud to say that my office has succeeded in obtaining $480,000 in federal funds to support the program.鈥�
Sullivan, who had Lyme disease, said tick bite prevention is embedded in just about every DEM program and that prevention and control efforts are important to the state鈥檚 tourism industry.
Waters said he was on hand to support the entire tick control effort. 鈥淲e are very fortunate to have a collaboration with Dr. Tom Mather and the 溏心vlog免费B站. We consider Tom a colleague and a partner.鈥�
溏心vlog免费B站 News Bureau photo by Michael Salerno Photography.