Tenacious PT: How To Do A Lyme and Tickborne Disease Awareness Event

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Many areas of the US do not experience cold enough Winters for the ticks to die off. This year especially take the time to educate yourself and others about the dangers that lurk in our ticks.

How To Do A Lyme and Tickborne Disease Awareness Event

Step 1. Decide what you want to do. Make contact with venue and set a date.

Several ideas for events:

School Education Program (eg. Grammar, Middle or High School)
Outdoor Education Program (eg. Sports Team, YMCA, Science Camp)
Workplace Education Program (your work, a friends work, your doctors office)
Public Education Program (Fire Dept, Park & Rec. Dept, Chamber of Commerce)

Step 2. Invite a local celebrity or elected official. Ideally someone who's been affected by Lyme.

Step 3. Contact your local News Paper, or TV Station and enlist their support.

E-mail a press packet to include cover letter with description of event, date and time.
Advertise your event: Post flyers around school/work, press release in the News Paper, share on your Facebook page. Get the word out!

Step 4. Set up a meeting with director at the chosen venue and discuss the details of the event.

How many will attend,
How big is the space, indoor/outdoor, back-up plan if rainy,
What equipment will you need (tables, chairs, sound system),
Review the details of the program. Leave a copy of Press Release and Lyme Disease Facts.

Step 5. Compile Materials for Event

Go to your State Vector Borne Disease Web Site and Print relevant facts to share.
Order Posters, Brochures, Banners, Bracelets, etc. (see resource guide below)
Print all materials for handouts. Include your contact info or a business card.
Make signs or Poster Boards for Presentation or
Download or create a Powerpoint presentation

Step 6. Week before: Confirm Date and Time with all involved. Notify Media of confirmed time.

Step 7. Write an outline of Event schedule to include introduction of the special guest.

Step 8. Day Before: Reconfirm with all parties, pick-up limes, equipment and materials.

Step 9. Day Of: Show-up, set-up, sound check, meet, great and remember to smile.

Helpful Hints:

If presenting to Children have food (like pizza) available. (Especially important for Teens)
Have music playing at beginning and end of the program. It creates a fun atmosphere.
Focus on 2-3 key facts. For example: ticks, prevention, signs & symptoms of Lyme.
Use large print, age appropriate, easy to ready, easy to understand facts.

Education Resources:

Type In Your Zip Code to See What Tick Borne Diseases are in Your Area
LymeStats.org
Lyme Disease Challenge
TickEncounter Resource Center
LymeDisease.org Resource Page
Bay Area Lyme Foundation Education Resource
Global Lyme Alliance
CDC Prevent Lyme Disease
CDC Tick Maps
Vector-borne Disease Section (VBDS) California Dept of Public Health
New York State Dept of Health Tick Borne Diseases
Oriental Trading Post (lime green bracelets, pins, etc)

Sample Program: Noon-Time High School Education Program:

Step 1. Meet with school Principal. Set a Date. Leave a folder with tick facts and outline of event.

Step 2. Contact County Supervisor, Mayor, State Representative or Elected Official.

Step 3. Put together press packet with brief description of event and special guest.

Contact local TV station and get their commitment for the event. E-mail the press packet.

Step 4. Order, download and print all materials. Tick-removers, posters, bracelets, business cards.

Step 5. Meet at venue. Evaluate need for Table, Chairs, Sound System. Review outline of event.

Step 6. Confirm by phone or e-mail with all parties. Ask special guest to send a copy of bio.

Ask school to announce over PA system on the AM of Event.

Step 7. Write a script of what you will be discussing along with an introduction of special guest.

E-mail outline of program to the school principal, special guest and media.

Step 8. Call to confirm with all parties. Ask them to arrive 20-30 minutes before event.

Pick-up limes, bottled water, table and sound equipment.

Step 9. Day of Event:

Show-up 1 hour before event to set-up.
Run a sound check. Make introductions to News crew. Give copy of Press Release.
Introduce special guest to the Principal and review bio and sequence of events.
Play music for 5-10 minutes as kids are getting out of class and gathering.
Have Principal announce the Start of Event, and introduce the special guest.
Special guest tells story about how Lyme has affected them or someone they know.
Thank principal and special guest, then briefly talk about how Lyme has affected you or a loved one, signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease, other tick borne diseases and how to prevent tick bites.
Encourage kids to come to table and get free bracelets, brochures, limes.
Take a group photo with kids and limes. Take selfies with Principal and guest.
Encourage everyone to send in ticks for free testing. Hand out forms.
Linger for questions.
Thank Everyone for Coming.

Link to TV Coverage of Our Event:

"Students at SLO High Learn About Lyme Disease"

http://www.ksby.com/clip/12429732/students-at-slo-high-learn-about-lyme-disease

Tips for Creating a Press Release: (link here)

Sample Body of Press Release:

"In recognition of Lyme Disease Awareness month, (name of group) will be holding an event (at place) to spread awareness about this common tick borne disease and help others take steps to protect themselves against tick-borne diseases. We will be providing free (list of items: eg bracelets, tick testing forms) and (name of special guest) to share how Lyme Disease has affected him/her personally. We will also be going over (list one other item from your agenda eg. tick repellants).

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness (or disease transmitted to humans by ticks, mosquitoes or fleas) in the United States, with nearly 35,000 confirmed cases reported in 2014. Between 1992 and 2009, the reported annual number of Lyme disease cases more than tripled, with children most at risk for the disease. Children are more at risk because they spend more time playing outdoors and in high grass or leaves, where the ticks that spread Lyme disease are found. Because Lyme is an underreported illness the CDC estimates the actual number of cases in the U.S. is 300,000 per year.

Lyme disease is transmitted to people through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. These ticks are most active during May through July, so it's especially important that people living in affected regions take steps now to prevent Lyme disease when they go outside. About 95 percent of reported cases in 2009 were from just 12 states. In many states, other tickborne diseases are more prevalent that Lyme disease.

Tickborne Diseases Other than Lyme:

Babesia
Ehrlichia
Anaplasma
Colorado Tick Fever
Tick-borne Relapsing Fever
Q-Fever
Powassan Viral Encephalitis
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Tick Paralysis
Tularemia

To prevent Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases, CDC recommends that people:

Avoid areas with high grass and leaf litter and walk in the center of trails when hiking.
Use repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET on exposed skin for protection that lasts several hours. Parents should apply repellent to children; the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends products with up to 30 percent DEET for kids. Always follow product instructions!
Use products that contain permethrin to treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents or look for clothing pre-treated with permethrin.
Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors to wash off and more easily find crawling ticks before they bite you.
Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon returning from tick-infested areas. Parents should help children check thoroughly for ticks. Remove any ticks right away.

Typical symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache, fatigue, and a large, expanding skin rash that may have a bull's-eye appearance. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Anyone who develops a fever or a rash after being bitten by a tick or spending time in tick-infested areas should seek prompt medical care. Most patients with Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks' of antibiotics, especially if treated early.

Please join us on (date, time) at (place) to help us spread awareness. Sponsored by: (list names of Organizations who have donated or provided materials)."

*(Excerpts from CDC)