Health Department Vector Control Specialist to Present at Harford Lyme Advocates Meeting

From the Harford County Health Department:

On Thursday, February 18, 2016 from 6:00pm until 8:00pm, Harford County Health Department Program Supervisor for Vector Control and Community Hygiene, David Reiher, will address the meeting of the Harford Lyme Advocates to be held in the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center Chesapeake Conference Room 500, located on Upper Chesapeake Drive in Bel Air, MD.

Accompanying a brief discussion of tick control methods, Mr. Reiher will discuss various Lyme disease outreach initiatives in which the Harford County Health Department has participated since 2008, including the multi-state CDC TickNET study of 2011.

Lyme disease can affect multiple body systems and produce a wide range of symptoms. Not all patients with Lyme disease will have all symptoms, and many of the symptoms are not specific to Lyme disease, but can occur with other diseases as well. 2013 witnessed a landmark moment in the history of Lyme disease when the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the actual number of Lyme disease cases nationwide probably approached some 300,000 annually. Previously that number had been estimated at closer to 45,000 cases annually.

Harford Lyme Advocates is a Chapter of the National Capital Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Association that was founded in 2001 with headquarters in McLean, Virginia. It has chapters and partnerships with other organizations throughout the country and is committed to helping patients diagnosed with tickborne through education, support, and advocacy.

Interested civic or community organizations are invited to call 410-877-2315 to schedule a Lyme disease awareness and prevention presentation. For more information on Lyme disease, visit the Harford County website, www.harfordcountyhealth.com. or visit the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at: www.cdc.gov/lyme/.