School of Public Health to co-sponsor tick check at Morgantown dog parks

The WVU School of Public Health is partnering with BOPARC to conduct a “Paws and Claws” tick check from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 27. The event will occur at Krepps Park in Suncrest and Stanley Spot Dog Park, which is located downtown.

“We are hosting 'Paws and Claws' to educate our community on tick and Lyme prevention, while also collecting important public health data,” said Brian Hendricks, co-principal investigator on the project. “The status of tick borne disease is extremely uncertain as new diseases seem to emerge more frequently and ticks begin to invade more areas.”

All ticks collected will be tested, and all participants will be notified of project results. At the project’s conclusion, pet owners who participate will be notified of the variety of diseases and ticks found on their pets.

The event is part of a statewide surveillance effort undertaken by the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health and the WVU School of Public Health. The project is innovative, in that this type of sampling has never been done regarding tick surveillance.

Two additional tick check events will be announced in the near future.