Weston residents braved the storms Thursday night to attend a Lyme disease informational forum hosted by State Representative John Shaban at the Weston Library.
Shaban hosted the forum due to a high frequency of questions regarding Lyme disease from constituents worried about the deer and tick population in the area.
Attending the forum were Jennifer Reid from the Ridgefield Health Department’s BLAST Program, Monica Wheeler, the Community Health Director for the Weston/Westport Health District and Dr. Howard Kilpatrick, a biologist from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The BLAST program was developed in 2008 to raise awareness of the most effective Lyme disease prevention practices. Reid gave a presentation and explained the prevention practices to the audience. For more information on the BLAST program and specific prevention practices, click here.
Wheeler gave additional details regarding ticks and Lyme disease while Dr. Kilpatrick explained some studies currently underway investigating ways to reduce the tick population and, therefore, occurences of Lyme disease.
Shaban was happy with the forum and said he plans to hold additional forums in the future due to the heavy interest from the community.
