We are preparing for a very busy week ahead, when we will be spending the entire week at the Union Fair (Aug 18-25), educating fair goers about ticks in Maine, the diseases that they carry and how “prevention is key to staying tick-free.” This will be our fourth year at the Union Fair and we have a great corner booth inside the Exhibition Hall. You can find us there every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We enjoy engaging with the community and helping them to understand what is happening here in Maine and sharing options on how to avoid having a tick encounter, thus lower the fear factor and allowing them to enjoy being outdoors. We share our own experiences and connections to resources to help those struggling find their path back to health and wellness. We also network and grow with opportunities to speak outside the fair.

I am blown away every year by the responses that we get from people when they find us at the fair. Smiles, hugs and tears go a long way in reducing fear and raising hope. Everyone has been touched by tick-borne disease either personally or someone that they know.

We still have some weeks left to the summer to play outdoors so as always, I caution you to continue using repellent on your skin, treating your clothing or purchase repellent-treated clothing, continue to take care of your pets, homes and yards because the ticks are not going away just because summer’s end is closing in. In fact, in 2017, we saw a spike in the number of new cases of Lyme, Anaplasmosis and Babesia in the fall because folks stopped using repellent and began having tick encounters once again.

So, I invite you to stop by our booth, say hi, grab some products and support the cause. Find out about the species of ticks residing here in Maine and the diseases that they carry. Raising awareness is the only way we’re going to combat the growing number of new cases of not only Lyme disease but other tick-borne diseases on the rise here in Maine ~ and it’s what we do best!

Note: The Damariscotta Lyme Support meeting will not meet in August as we will be at the Fair all week. Visit our website to find other meeting locations.

Paula is the president of the MLDSE, the co-chair of the Access to Care Services and Patient Support subcommittee of the Federal HHS Tick-borne Disease Working Group, the Maine-partner of the national Lyme Disease Association, member of Maine’s CDC Vector-borne Workgroup and active in Maine’s Lyme legislation. You can reach her at paula@mldse.org and visit her website www.mldse.org