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  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • At-Home Test Kits
    • COVID-19 Booster Information
    • COVID-19 Testing
    • Weekly Updates for COVID-19 Positivity Rates Within the Torrington Area Health District (TAHD) Jurisdiction
    • Self-Isolation and ​Self-Quarantine
  • Programs & Services
    • Environmental Health >
      • Healthy Homes
      • Lead Information
      • Asbestos >
        • Overview
        • Asbestos Abatement
        • Vermiculite Concerns
      • Beauty Salon and Barber Shop Licensing
      • Bed Bug Information
      • Building Conversions, Additions and Accessory Structures
      • Day Care Centers
      • General Septic System Information >
        • Steps to Constructing a Building with No Public Sewers or Public Water
        • On-site Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems
        • Repair and Replacement
      • Lake and Pond Swimming Areas
      • Noise Regulations
      • Private Water Wells
      • Public Swimming Pools
      • Radon Awareness
      • Soil Testing
      • Tattoo Salons
      • Water Testing Laboratories
    • Community Health >
      • Suicide Prevention
      • Opioid Epidemic
      • Bats & Rabies
      • Bed Bugs
      • Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
      • Communicable and Chronic Disease Program
      • Emergency Preparedness
      • Fit Together NWCT
      • Immunization >
        • Immunization Program
        • Connecticut Vaccine Program (CVP)
        • Connecticut Immunization Information System (CT WiZ)
      • Community Health Needs Assessment
      • Lyme Disease & Ticks >
        • About Lyme Disease
        • Tick Removal & Testing
      • TAHD Medical Reserve Corp
      • Travel Health
    • Food Protection Inspection Program >
      • Overview of Food Protection Section
      • Guidelines for Food Service at Temporary Events
      • Itinerant Vendor / Mobile Vendor Food Service Requirements
      • FDA Food Code Information >
        • Testing Organizations
      • Qualified Food Operator
      • Foodborne Illness Investigation
      • Preoperational Guidelines & Application for Food Service Establishments
      • Keeping Food Safe During Extended Power Outage
      • Procedures to Safely Reopen After Storm
      • Food Service Establishment Inspections
    • Local Regulations
  • Forms & Applications
    • General Forms & Applications
    • Food Service Forms & Applications
    • Fee Schedule
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Board Members >
      • Board of Health Meeting Minutes
    • TAHD Staff
    • Satellite Office Locations
    • District Municipalities
    • Needs Assessment >
      • Litchfield County Community Health
      • Executive Summary
      • Litchfield County Transformation Grant
    • Public Health Introduction Video
    • Employment Opportunities
  • News & Events
    • Newsletter
    • Weather Related Closures

Lyme Disease

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Lyme Disease is an infection caused by the spirochete bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted by a bite from a black legged (deer) tick. In Litchfield County the species of ticks associated with Lyme Disease is Ixodes scapularis. Lyme Disease often begins as a skin rash. Some people do not know a tick has bitten them and some people do not get the classic red skin rash. Antibiotics are used to treat the disease.

Since Lyme Disease is a multi-systemic illness, there are a wide variety of possible symptoms. These symptoms may vary from mild to severe, and they may come and go. It may be helpful for your physician if you photograph your rash (if you get one) and log all symptoms on a daily calendar. The longer the disease remains undetected, the more difficult it is to treat. Since early detection and treatment is critical, seek medical advice as soon as possible. 


Early symptoms may include: 
  • Rash - often bull's eye in shape, but not always. May appear from 3 days to 1 month after the bite of an infected tick. 
  • Headache 
  • Stiff Neck  
  • Chills and Fever  
  • Prolonged Fatigue  
  • Muscle and/or Joint Pain  
  • Swollen Lymph Nodes

Late symptoms may include:
  • Arthritis - brief bouts of pain and swelling, usually in 1 or more joints.  
  • Neurological abnormalities - Bell's Palsy, meningitis, numbness, pain, impaired memory and concentration, visual impairments 
  • Cardiac involvement - irregularities of heart rhythm, shortness of breath, dizziness

Other sources of information

Other Tick-borne DiseasesThe same tick that transmits Lyme Disease, may transmit other diseases at the same time. Research indicates that it takes 24 to 36 hours after attachment to transmit Lyme Disease BUTother diseases can be transmitted in less time. 
Co-infection with two or three tick-borne diseases may complicate diagnosis, increase severity of symptoms, and prolong illness. 

ANAPLASMOSIS (ehrlichiosis)

Several different Ehrlichia bacteria exist but the one associated with the black-legged deer tick is called Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis, HGE.

Anaplasmosis can most commonly cause high fever, chills, sweating, sever headaches and muscle aches. Fatigue and gastrointestinal complaints may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The illness may vary from mild to severe to life-threatening. Effective antibiotics eradicate the infection and fewer problems develop with earlier treatment. Other pre-existing conditions may worsen the course of action.

BABESIOSIS

Babesiosis is an infection caused by a malaria-like protozoan. The disease usually begins with non-specific, flu-like symptoms 1-3 weeks after a black-legged deer tick bite. Symptoms often include spiking fevers and chills. The disease may result in anemia-causing fatigue and poor exercise tolerance. The infection may be asymptomatic to mild in the young. It can be severe and even life-threatening in patients without spleens, immune-compromised patients, and older patients with pre-existing medical conditions. Fewer complications occur with early treatment and effective antibiotics.

CLICK HERE FOR THE TICK SUBMISSION FORM

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Torrington Area Health District
350 Main Street, Suite A
Torrington, CT 06790-5000
(860) 489-0436  Fax  (860) 496-8243 
Hours
​-Monday, Tuesday, Thursday- 8:00am to 4:00pm.
-Wednesday-
8:00am to 6:00pm.
​-Friday-
8:00am to 1:00pm.
 
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TAHD provides local public health services for the towns of Bantam, Bethlehem, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Middlebury, Morris, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Salisbury, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Watertown & Winsted.
© 2023 Torrington Area Health District. All Rights Reserved.
The Torrington Area Health District is an equal opportunity provider, and employer.  If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form.  You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form.  Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@USDA.gov.