SACKVILLE, N.B. – Mount Allison will host the third Maritime Tick and Tick Vectored Disease Research Conference on Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the university’s Barclay Building, room 02.
The conference is open to the public and will feature presentations and discussions with researchers and students from Mount Allison’s Lyme Research Network, Dalhousie University, l’Université de Moncton, and UNB, as well as representatives from government, professional groups, and members of the public.
“Over the past number of years, we’ve seen an increase both in the number of ticks and the time they are active throughout the year in our region,” says Vett Lloyd, Mount Allison biologist and founding member of the University’s Lyme Research Network. “Communication and education around ticks and the bacteria they can carry such as those that cause illnesses like Lyme disease is essential for public health. We are looking forward to welcoming researchers from around the region as well as members of the public to campus for the conference.”
Conference topics will include new initiatives in “tick ed” in high schools, new research on tick repellants, updates on ticks in NB, NS and PEI. As well there will be talks on the effects of tick borne diseases on wildlife, pets and humans. The full program including research summaries, information, and directions is available at: http://maritimetickconference.weebly.com.
Previous tick projects from Mount Allison include the Maritime Tick Portal (http://www.maritimetickmaps.ca/), a mapping resource to help share the latest information on ticks and Lyme disease in the region, a collaboration between Mount Allison researchers, NB veterinarians and members of the public.
The Maritime Tick and Tick Vectored Disease Research Conference is sponsored by Mount Allison (www.mta.ca), the Mount Allison Lyme Research Network (http://www.mtalymenetwork.ca/) and the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme.com).
