Town presents Tick Action Committee findings, plans outreach and follow-up on deer interventions

Medical experts, volunteer committee members and board liaisons told the East Hampton Town Board on March 10 that tick-borne diseases are a growing, year-round public-health problem on the East End and proposed a mix of education, surveillance and targeted environmental approaches to reduce risk.

Dr. Scott Campbell, arthropod-disease laboratory chief with Suffolk County Health Services, summarized the local threat and the biology behind it, describing life stages and seasonal peaks for black-legged (deer) ticks and lone star ticks. “All ticks have the same stages — egg, larva, nymph and adult,” Campbell said, noting that tiny infected nymphs are often missed and drive many human infections in spring and early summer. He added that timely removal of an attached tick reduces transmission risk and that surveillance (flagging/dragging) helps target control measures.

The committee identified five illnesses of local concern — Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and alpha-gal syndrome — and described their typical symptoms and medical management. Dr. Joshua Stillman, an emergency-medicine physician on the committee, said clinicians face tradeoffs when deciding whether to treat asymptomatic tick exposures with a single prophylactic dose of doxycycline, and advised residents to consult current CDC guidance for clinical protocols.

On prevention, experts recommended a mix of public education and targeted habitat measures rather than blanket spraying. Campbell described host-targeted measures used in other Northeast programs — for example, “4‑poster” devices that treat deer with acaricide and tick tubes that target rodents — and noted that each strategy has limits: some work best on deer-hosted ticks, others on mouse-hosted ticks. He emphasized targeted, label‑compliant use of pesticides to limit impacts on pollinators and said municipal programs should consider site surveillance and narrow barrier treatments rather than area-wide applications.

Residents and board members pressed for practical guidance. The doctors recommended frequent personal tick checks, treating clothing with EPA‑registered products such as permethrin, and removing attached ticks promptly with fine‑tipped tweezers: “Grasp it as close to the skin as possible and pull it straight out,” Campbell said, adding that any remaining hypostome usually sloughs off and does not require digging.

The committee committed to several next steps: translate materials into Spanish, post CDC‑based guidance and local resources on the town website, coordinate with health-care providers to improve diagnosis and reporting, and work with the wildlife committee to present options for managing deer as an intervention point. Board members asked the wildlife committee to return with recommendations and an environmental impact assessment in roughly 6–8 weeks.

The presentation drew strong public support from multiple residents who shared personal experiences with Lyme and alpha-gal syndrome and urged expanded signage, school education and outreach to Spanish‑speaking congregations. Officials said the town will use the spring season and upcoming newsletter circulation to push prevention messages to roughly 20,000 households.