Education on Tickborne Diseases and Prevention Strategies

Research suggests that around 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year and that around one billion dollars is spent on healthcare for Lyme disease alone. Vermont has the highest rate of incidences of Lyme disease per 100,000 persons in the United States. While Lyme disease is certainly a major community health issue in Berlin, VT there are many other tickborne diseases that are becoming increasingly prevalent such as Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Powassan virus disease, and Borrelia miyamotoi disease. An educational handout was created providing helpful information for both community members as well as healthcare providers. For community members the information focuses on tick bite prevention strategies, how to safely remove a tick and common symptoms of tickborne diseases seen in Vermont. For the providers the information focuses identification of ticks, in-depth signs and symptoms of tickborne disease, lab tests and results, diagnostic testing and appropriate treatment methods. This handout was provided to Berlin Family Medicine for distribution to patients and providers in hopes of combatting the rising incidence of tickborne diseases in Vermont.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1333/thumbnail.jp