Ticks: Please remember to check yourself and your children for ticks each day. If you’ve found a tick, our staff will identify ticks for residents for a fee of $10.
Steps:
- Complete the Tick Identification Form
- Place tick in a small plastic bag by itself. Do not tape tick to paper. Do not put water, tissues, or alcohol in the bag.
- Attach your $10 payment and bagged tick to the Tick Identification Form with a paperclip. Drop off at the Health District. Check/MasterCard & Visa accepted for payment. If you pay by credit card, we will call you for payment.
- Expect to be contacted by AHD clinical staff within a few days re type of tick and whether or not tick was engorged.
If Tick is Engorged & Sent to Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station:
- Tick will be tested for the presence of three tick borne illnesses: Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, and Ehrlichiosis.
- Processing could take between 2 and 4 weeks. There is no additional fee.
- In the meantime, contact your health care provider regarding treatment options.
- Expect to be contacted via letter/telephone with lab results.
- Please note that CAES will only test ticks found on people – not pets.
Research has shown that infected nymphs or adults do not transmit the Lyme disease agent until tick is engorged with blood. The probability of pathogen transmission increases with time as more blood is ingested by the tick from the host. This is why daily tick checks and early removal of ticks are so important.
To Learn More: Tips for Tick Bite Prevention
Bats & Other Animals: If you think there has been exposure to a potentially rabid animal, please call the Health District for further assistance. Staff will complete the paperwork necessary to have an animal tested for rabies at the State Public Health Laboratory in Rocky Hill, CT.
A courier service is available to transport the animal from the Health District to the state lab for a $100 fee payable by the resident.
Please note that only dead bats will be accepted for testing. If you have a live bat, please call a Nuisance Wildlife Control Officer or consult a veterinarian to have the bat euthanized.
Local Animal Control contact information:
To learn more, visit Connecticut Department of Public Health’s website.