The Pike County Tick Borne Diseases Task Force will have an educational table at the Greene Dreher Sterling Fair beginning Friday, August 27 until Sunday, September 5.
The Task Force will also be sharing information with community members on the findings of a recent study on tick borne disease prevalence in the County.
The Pike County Tick Borne Diseases Task Force and the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute of East Stroudsburg University conducted a study of 1,000 blacklegged ticks from various locations throughout Pike County. Results indicated that 38.9% of ticks collected tested positive for Lyme Disease, 18.9% were positive for Bartonellosis, and 13.8% were positive for Anaplasmosis. Additional pathogens/diseases such as Mycoplasmosis, Babesiosis, B. miyamotoi, and Powassan Virus were also present among the tick population. Of the 1,000 ticks tested, 123 were identified as carrying more than one pathogen/disease.
The Pike County Tick Borne Disease Task Force was established in 2015 by the Pike County Commissioners after a group of concerned citizens created their own taskforce, the Pike County Lyme Disease Task Force, to address the issue of tick borne pathogens/diseases. The current Task Force is comprised of medical professionals, educators, legislators, members of the public, County Commissioners, and County personnel.
The Task Force meets the 4th Thursday of the month. The meetings are open to the public and the group welcomes new members.
For additional information visit www.pikepa.org/tick