Tick-Borne Illness - Chappy Pilot Findings (2011)

During the summer of 2011, a team of rural health scholars (nursing and pharmacy students from the University of Massachusetts) conducted 945 surveys on ferries, at the high school, at ESL classes and at local churches about tick-borne illness. The work complemented hours of interviews with Island health care workers and pharmacists also conducted by the students.

Disease Exposure in Man:

  • Babesia: 18.2%
  • Lyme Disease: 15.2%
  • Tularemia: 9.1%
  • Anaplasmia: 0%

Disease Prevalence in Deer Ticks:
Nymphs:
  • No Disease: 59%
  • Lyme Disease: 25%
  • Babesia: 12%
  • >1 TBI Disease: 9%
  • Anaplasmia: 4%

Adults:

  • No Disease: 55%
  • Lyme Disease: 23%
  • >1 TBI Disease: 22%
  • Anaplasmia: 15%
  • Babesia: 7%
Personal Property Assessment:

  • 29% had deer tick nymphs; 42% had dog ticks
  • 81% saw deer more than once a week; 23% daily
  • 82% saw TBI as a serious health concern
  • 68% support Town/County funding of tick control
  • 44% support BOH regulations to mandate homeowner tick control
  • 59% support efforts to reduce deer population; 10% opposed

Visit the Rural Health Scholars Program website for more information.

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