Lyme
Disease and related illnesses are a serious health threat. To join with
the Lyme disease Foundation in recognizing
May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month,
SCOUTER has gathered dozens of links to web pages providing information about this
problem.
Since Scouting is built on outdoor
activities, our Scouts are going to come in contact with ticks. Our job as
leaders is to educate the scouts and each other about the dangers of tick bites, how to
attempt to prevent them, and what to do if someone is bitten.
One of the best Scouting websites I found with information on the subject
is the Gaelic Wolf Outdoors section on Tick-Borne Illnesses. Not only do
they explain the how and why of such diseases, they offer excellent illustrations to identify the
ticks.
To help them understand more about Lyme Disease, your
Scouts can listen on the Lyme Disease
Audio Network as medical and research personnel and their patients talk about their
experiences.
Browsing through our group of links you can become acquainted with the sypmtoms of tick-borne
diseases, as listed by the University of Rhode Island, and read the personal stories of victims of such
illnesses on the Fine Print website.
You can take a look at an actual bull's eye rash, as shown
on the Berntsen Family's site, or become familiar with the terms used when talking
about tick-borne illness.
The Tick-borne Disease Educational Foundation provides a list of preventive measures to minimize tick
bites, what do if you find an attached tick, and the proper use of insect repellants.
Remember, you can reduce your chances of
being bitten by: