Governor Murphy has signed a bipartisan law into action that will require school-aged children to learn about tick-borne illnesses. This comes at an important time of year as the passing of this legislation coincides with the beginning of tick season.
Considering the wealth of knowledge available today on tick-related illnesses, and the increased number of incidents involving ticks, it’s no wonder educators and parents have pushed hard to have this lesson implemented into local curriculums. Not only is it ‘tick season,’ but tick sightings have spiked in recent years. The best defense has been awareness, and educating people on the illnesses, symptoms, dangers, removal methods, and the culprits.
Bill S2463/A4820 will require “school districts to provide instruction on the prevention of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases in grades kindergarten through 12; requires DOH to publish certain guidelines concerning ticks.”
New Jersey has issued a ‘School-Based Tick Education Toolkit’ to be used as a basis for the new tick education program.
Three types of ticks are found in New Jersey; Lone Star Ticks, Dog Ticks, and Deer Ticks. If you find any of these ticks on you, your children, or your pet, the methods of removing them are typically the same.
When removing a tick, the way it’s removed is extremely important. If removed incorrectly, pieces of the tick’s mouth can remain in the skin and cause further infection.
The CDC recommends the following steps to remove a tick when it's found in the skin:
“Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by
- Putting it in alcohol,
- Placing it in a sealed bag/container,
- Wrapping it tightly in tape, or
- Flushing it down the toilet.”
Bill S2463: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/S2463
Bill A4820: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/A4820
School-Based Tick Education Toolkit: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/topics/vectorborne/Toolkit%20Overview.pdf
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