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The Gill Board of Health has provided funds subsidize the cost of tick testing for Gill residents. The goal of the program is to get a better idea of the prevalence of the 23 potentially disease-causing microorganisms that ticks can carry, and to provide you with information that can be shared with your medical doctor in the event a tick was attached to you.
Any tick found attached to a human resident of Gill can be removed, stored in a plastic baggie, and submitted for testing via www.tickreport.com.
Because of the town subsidy, a $50 Standard DNA Test is available for $15. A $100 Standard DNA & RNA Test is available for $65 and the $200 Comprehensive Test is available for $165. Prices and discounts are subject to change without notice.
All of the above test options will tell you whether your tick tested positve for Borrelia general species (the cause of Borreliosis, also known as Lyme disese) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (the cause of Anaplasmosis). The tests will NOT tell you whether you have contracted these diseases, but will allow you to be better informed when working with your medical doctor.
To learn more about tick identification, visit www.tickencounter.org or search for "Tickborne Diseases" at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's website www.mass.gov/eohhs/.
Information about Tick Prevention, Testing, and Removal is here: Prevention/Testing/Removal
A fact sheet about Permethrin (an effective tick repellant) is here: Permethrin Technical Fact Sheet