Learn how to avoid ticks while enjoying the great outdoors. Infected ticks can transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease. While most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics, if left untreated infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. That’s why prevention is critical, especially here in the northeast, which, along with the upper midwest, is home to the highest concentration of Lyme disease cases in the nation.

“As a resident of an area with tons of ticks, you have a responsibility,” says presenter Neeta Connally, a tick-borne disease prevention expert who holds a master of science in public health from Tulane University and a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Rhode Island.

“Just as you would buckle your seat belt or wear your helmet when you ride a bicycle, I think we have a responsibility to check ourselves, maybe modify our landscape if it’s particularly tick-infested, and treat our pets.”

In the seminar, Connally will share simple strategies for staying tick-free. As Connally notes, “If we have more conversations about prevention, we can have fewer conversations about diagnosis and treatment because we can get it on the front end — we stop it in its tracks.” The seminar is presented in cooperation with the BLAST Prevention Program of Lyme Connection, a community-based organization that offers tick-borne disease prevention programming and patient-support services.