Renowned Tick Expert, Dr. Thomas Mather, and Insect Shield Repellent Technology Launch Equip-4-Ticks Resource Center
Equip-4-Ticks provides expert tips, educational content, and a comprehensive video library to inform the public about best practices for tick protection and disease prevention.
GREENSBORO, NC & SEATTLE, WA – The number of Lyme disease cases in the United States continues to skyrocket. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), insurance records suggest that each year approximately 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease, indicating a large burden on the health care system, and a dire need for more effective education and prevention tactics. In response,Equip-4-Ticks Resource Center, a collaboration between tick expert, Dr. Thomas Mather, PhD, and Insect Shield Repellent Technology, was launched to offer tips, informational content, and a comprehensive video library to help the public stay protected from ticks and the dangerous diseases they may carry.
Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses including Powassan, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, as well as other harmful allergens such as Alpha-gal, are preventable with education and awareness. Through the launch of Equip-4-Ticks, Insect Shield, a manufacturer of EPA-registered, permethrin-treated apparel and gear, and Dr. Thomas Mather, professor of Public Health Entomology at the University of Rhode Island and Director of URI’s TickEncounter, are taking the education challenge head-on in an effort to raise public awareness.
“There are more ticks in more places than ever before and this is increasing the public health impact of tick transmitted disease,” shares Dr. Thomas Mather, Director of the University of Rhode Island Center for Vector-Borne Disease, and the TickEncounter Resource Center. “I am pleased to work in tandem with Insect Shield on the launch of Equip-4-Ticks to maximize the reach and impact of some of the most effective tick bite protection and disease-prevention strategies.”
The Equip-4-Ticks Resource Center offers a range of educational information including an overview on Lyme disease, tick habitats and species, protection tips, the best repellents, how to conduct a tick check, and what to do if you are bitten.
Ticks can be found in all 50 states and around the world. It is important to learn what types of ticks are found throughout the country and which diseases they carry.
Lyme Disease: Overview, Signs, and Symptoms
Lyme disease, caused by a bacterium transmitted from tick to host, can cause various symptoms and serious side effects, including neurological and heart complications. Learn more about Lyme disease signs and symptoms such as a rash, fever, achiness and more. Early detection is a key to recovery.
Tick Bite Prevention Tips
Four simple tips can make all the difference in preventing tick bites. Walk in the center of the trail, tuck in your shirt, put your clothes in the dryer as soon as you get home, and do tick checks.
Permethrin: Recommended Protection Against Ticks
Tick Checks: Best Practice for Humans and Pets
After spending time in a tick habitat, it’s important to do a thorough tick check. While many recommend checking from head to toe, it is preferable to start at the lower part of the body and then move upward, as ticks crawl from the ground up. Equip-4-Ticks outlines how to do a proper tick check, including best practices for pets.
Safe Tick Removal, Storage, and Identification
For comprehensive information about how stay protected from ticks and the dangerous diseases they may carry, visit Equip-4-Ticks.
About Dr. Thomas Mather, PhD
Dr. Mather (a.k.a. “The TickGuy”) joined the University of Rhode Island in 1992 from the Harvard School of Public Health, and now serves as director of URI’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease and its TickEncounter Resource Center. His research focus is on tick ecology, area-wide tick control strategies, tick-bite protection, and tickborne disease prevention. His research and outreach programs are diverse, including anti-tick vaccine discovery projects, evaluations of targeted tick control strategies, tickborne disease risk prediction, as well as development of tick-bite protection decision support tools and social networking strategies for tickborne disease prevention. His work has attracted funding from a wide variety of sources, including the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Agency for International Development.
About Equip-4-Ticks Resource Center
Equip-4-Ticks Resource Center, a collaboration between tick expert, Dr. Thomas Mather, PhD and Insect Shield Repellent Technology, was launched to offer tips, informational content, and a comprehensive video library to help the public stay protected from ticks and the dangerous diseases they may carry.
About Insect Shield®
Insect Shield Repellent Apparel and Gear are revolutionary products designed to provide long-lasting, effective, and convenient personal insect protection. The durable protection provided by Insect Shield is the result of years of research and testing. In July 2003, Insect Shield Repellent Apparel was registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Insect Shield Technology is utilized by 75+ leading lifestyle brands, work wear distributors and international relief organizations across the globe to provide effective protection against insects and the diseases they can carry. Insect Shield is an approved vendor of the US Army and approved for distribution in 46 countries.
