LYME Disease Information Sheet

Lyme disease is a sickness carried by ticks that has been spreading throughout the United States in recent years. If it is treated promptly it usually can be cured, but if it is ignored it can lead to serious complications years later, including, in the extreme case, death. We have made changes in the Backpacking Project to avoid areas where the ticks are most common and your son will be taught about Lyme Disease during the project. Because there is no way to totally eliminate the risk of becoming sick with Lyme Disease, however, we wanted to give you information about the disease before your son begins the project.

Some ticks carry a type of bacteria that causes Lyme Disease and a tick bite can pass it on to humans. Currently, most Lyme Disease cases that are reported in New Jersey come from the counties near the Atlantic Ocean. A very small percentage of the reported cases come from the western counties where all of our backpacking trips will be held from now on. One St. Benedict's student was treated for Lyme Disease some years ago (but we have no clear evidence that he was bitten during the Backpacking Project); and none recently. Even so, we want your son to take care.

There are two things that you and your son need to know: how to avoid being bitten by a tick, and what to do if sickness occurs. We ask that you discuss this information with your son before the first backpacking trip.

What to do to avoid being bitten by a tick. Since the disease is passed to humans through a tick bite, the simplest and best thing is to avoid being bitten. Please stress to your son that he must do these things, because some of them (such as using bug spray) are difficult for the student leaders and adult supervisors to check on.