In Connecticut, occupational exposure to tick-borne diseases is a known and recognized hazard. Outdoor workers should be extra careful to protect themselves in the spring, summer, and fall when ticks are most active. School and park & Rec departments should be awre of the hazard to students and children who participate in summer camp or other outdoor sports activities.
At particular risk are -- - Park and Recreation employees, - Public Works employees, - Summer camp counselors, - Animal Control officers, - Athletic coaches and teachers, and - Police officers and Firefighters.Dr. Theodore Andreadis, Director of CAES states, "At this time of year, personal protection measures and conducting tick checks remain the most effective waysto reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases." Worksites with woods, bushes, high grass, or leaf litter are likely to have more ticks. Ticks in Connecticut carry a variety of disease causing agents including bacteria, protozoa, rickettsia, and now, a new and emerging viral infection, the Powassan Virus (POWV).
The diseases known to have been transmitted in Connecticut are -- - Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), - Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum), - Babesiosis (Babesia microti), - Ehrlichiosis(Ehrlichia chaffeensis), - Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii), - Powassan encephalitis(POWV), and - Hard-tick relapsing fever (Borrelia miyamotoi).While the numbers of human cases of some of these diseases in Connecticut remain low, infection may have serious consequences. Without preventive measures in tick infested areas, contracting a tick-borne disease in Connecticut, particularly Lyme disease, may occur.All public sector employees who are required to work in tick-infested areas should be trained in the methods of protecting themselves from tick bites and the signs and symptoms of TBD.For information on workplace controls and Lyme Disease symptoms, download NIOSH Fast Facts. CONN-OSHA's Safety and Health Consultation Program is available to help Connecticut employers with this initiative. Read more about this issue in the CONN-OSHA quarterly.
Download CT2 Tail Gate topic on Ticks and Lyme Disease.