Tick Ecology and Tickborne Diseases via Zoom

At 2:00 PM on Wednesday, September 25th, the Vineyard Haven Library will host a virtual presentation on “Tick Ecology and Tickborne Diseases” by Biologist Patrick Roden-Reynolds and Epidemiologist Lea Hamner, experts from the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative. The first part of this virtual presentation will cover the basics of tick ecology and behavior, including the most important tactics for preventing bites, with an emphasis on a ‘Before the Bite” mantra. The second part of the presentation will discuss tickborne diseases found on Martha’s Vineyard, including the new kid on the block: Alpha Gal Syndrome or red meat allergy. Patrick Roden-Reynolds is a Public Health Biologist for the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative and Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program. His work focuses on education and surveillance of vector-borne diseases and their vector populations. Lea Hamner is an Epidemiologist for the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative. She focuses on infectious diseases of public health significance and supporting data-informed decision-making to support healthier communities. The Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket is a project funded by the Massachusetts Department of Health to fortify local public health monitoring and delivery. The initiative is led by the joint Boards of Health on Martha’s Vineyard along with Island Health Care and the Town of Nantucket. This event will be held via Zoom. Interested patrons may register on the library’s event calendar at www.vhlibrary.org to receive the Zoom link. The program will also be recorded and available on the library Vimeo channel (https://vimeo.com/user124269588) within 48 hours of the event. For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.