Lyme Disease and Tick Presentation

Date: September 14, 2011

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) will be hosting a presentation on Lyme disease and ticks on Thursday, September 15, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., in the auditorium of the National Lakeshore visitor center in Empire. Visitors are encouraged to come and learn about tick identification, their life cycles, the diseases they transmit, and the measures used for prevention.
 
Ticks are significant vectors of pathogens that cause human disease. Tick-borne diseases do occur in Michigan, and can be serious or fatal if not properly diagnosed and treated. There have been two reported cases of Lyme disease that the individuals affected believe were contracted while camping on North Manitou Island. Evidence of similar problems has also been found on the mainland portions of the National Lakeshore.

Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Community Health are working together at the National Lakeshore to research the emergence of Lyme disease and the associated ticks that transmit the disease. Erik Foster of the Michigan Department of Community Health will be presenting the program on ticks and Lyme disease at no cost to the visitors.

For additional information about this presentation or its location, please contact National Lakeshore Chief of Natural Resources Steve Yancho at 231-326-5134