Ticks and the Diseases they Spread

In Chatham County, ticks are one of the creatures with which we share our world.  Long time residents have developed routine strategies to reduce their exposure, remove ticks when attached, and remember the risk of disease.  No one is immune to the risks of exposure to ticks.

Chatham County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service will sponsor a program on “Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases” at the Agriculture Building in Pittsboro on Thursday April 19.  The program will begin with a catered barbeque dinner at 6:00 p.m.  A $5.00 charge will cover part of the cost of the meal and materials.  Pre-registration is required.  Those interested in attending should call

919.542.8202 to reserve a seat.

The program will cover aspects of tick biology, tick control, tick-borne illnesses in North Carolina, and disease prevention.  Lead speaker on the program will be Dr. Charles Apperson, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Agriculture and a member of the Department of Entomology at NC State University.

Apperson’s research areas include vector biology as well as basic and applied research on the ecology, behavior, and/or control of arthropods of public health importance.  Subjects of his work include mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies and midges, the red imported fire ant, and fleas.  He also studies arthropod-host interactions such as blood-feeding and pathogen transmission.

Also present will be Dr. Barry Engber, Public Health Pest Management Specialist with the N.C. Department of Environmental Health and Holly Coleman, Interim Director of the Chatham County Health Department.

Chatham County is fortunate to have access to specialists of Apperson’s caliber.  Charles Apperson has collected ticks in Chatham County and had them assayed for pathogens.  He is the author of numerous publications on arthropod pests of humans.

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