BLAST Lyme Disease Prevention Program

The BLAST Lyme Disease Prevention Mission is to reduce the incidence of tick-borne disease in Connecticut by educating citizens about early symptom detection and the importance of timely treatment should infection occur.

Description:
Lyme disease is a multi-system infection caused by a spiral bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi that is transmitted to humans and animals through a bite of an infected black legged tick. Lyme disease is a debilitating multisystem infection that can affect many organs. Early detection and treatment of Lyme disease is essential. In the early stages, the infection causes flu like symptoms but if left untreated Lyme disease can lead to severe long term arthritic, neurological and cardiac problems.

In 2002, using the number of reported cases, the economic burden of Lyme disease was calculated to cost the United States approximately $230 million (in 20002 dollars). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention believe only 1 in 10 cases are reported making the estimate considerably lower than actual costs. The earlier Lyme disease is diagnosed the more effective, faster, and inexpensive treatment is. Educating the public how to recognize symptoms and seek timely treatment is an important part of the BLAST program. The most cost saving measure is to teach the public how to avoid the disease. The primary function of the BLAST program is to teach the public the five behaviors that research has demonstrated to be the most effective in preventing a tick bite and contraction of the disease.

The BLAST program has been endorsed by many as a model health education program because it is simple, affordable for most citizens to do and easy to replicate in each town.

History:
The Friends of Ridgefield Community Programs/BLAST Lyme Disease Prevention Program received a grant from the State of Connecticut in 2008 to create a unified Lyme Disease Prevention and education program in Fairfield County that, if successful, we could disseminate statewide. Goverment agencies, local businesses, hospitals, health departments, and Lyme disease researchers have all endorsed the BLAST program as a model community health education program because the message is simple, affordable, and easy to replicate. Unfortunately, state funding ended in December 2008 and we are in the process of creating a sustainable program with trained volunteer educators to disseminate this crucial public health message.

Contact people:

Jennifer Reid, Program Coordinator, (203) 431-2745, (email) Frances Ryan, (203) 743-3009, (email)

Address:

66 Prospect St Ridgefield, CT 06877 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.ridgefieldct.org

Directions:

Take Route 7 to Ridgefield. Turn Right on DANBURY RD(CT-35) Turn Left onto Olcott Way, which becomes Grove St At the end of Grove St TURN Left onto Prospect St Proceed appoximately 0.2 mile to driveway for the Town Hall Annex The BLAST office. . . (more)

Last updated on October 6, 2009