UTICA — Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-119, Marcy, hailed local attendance at a pair of local events to raise awareness about Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

The two-session forum — held Tuesday at the State Office Building, 207 Genesee St., in Utica and the Capitol Theatre, 230 W. Dominick St., in Rome — was an “overwhelming success,” Buttenschon said, adding that community members at the events received valuable information about protecting themselves and their families from these illnesses while still being able to enjoy the outdoors.

“Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses are no joke, which is why I was grateful to see such a strong turnout at my forum,” Buttenschon said. “I would like to extend my thanks to the local experts that volunteered their time and expertise for the event. I’ll always work to keep our families safe, and holding critical information sessions is a great place to start.”

“Tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, continue to emerge and re-emerge in Central New York (CNY). The geographic expansion of the Deer tick and its potential to transmit multiple disease-causing agents, including the Lyme disease-causing agent, is a significant public health concern.”, said Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, professor of microbiology and immunology at Upstate Medical University.

“In the past decade, a 400% increase in Lyme disease has been observed in CNY,” Thangamani added. “At Upstate Medical University, we are investigating factors that influence the emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases through a community-engaged/citizen science tick surveillance program.”

“Tick-borne illnesses are on the rise in New York.  When doing presentations like this, we are engaging communities by teaching them how to minimize their interactions with ticks while enjoying the outdoors and helping families and individuals create a ‘Tick Safe Zone’ on their properties”, said Holly Wise, consumer horticulture/plant science educator from  Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County.

Lyme disease is the most common disease spread by ticks in New York, but they spread other serious diseases too, Buttenschon and the speakers said. Although not all ticks can cause disease and not all bites will make you sick but, as these diseases become more common, it’s important to learn how to prevent a bite, remove a tick and what to do if you think you could have a tick-borne disease, they added.

Those who could not attend in person can view the event online via Assemblywoman Buttenschon’s Facebook page.