LEO Alaska Webinar - April 16th, 2019

• Understanding the Risk of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Alaska (Micah Hahn, William George, and Gale Disler)

Dear LEO Network Members and Participants,

We invite you to join us for the next Alaska LEO Network webinar Tuesday, April 16th, 2019 from 2:00-3:30pm. LEO webinars provide an exciting learning experience and connect local observers and organizations from across Alaska to discuss current and emerging environmental changes. 

Agenda:

1:45pm - Conference Line Opens

2:00pm - Welcome, Agenda Review

2:05pm - LEO Observation Review

2:20pm - Open Sharing of Observations from LEO Members

2:30pm - Presentation             

Understanding the Risk of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Alaska

Micah Hahn, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies at UAA

William George, Student in the Master of Biological Sciences Program at UAA

Gale Disler, Student in the Master of Public Health Program at UAA

Description:

Among arthropods, ticks transmit a remarkable diversity of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens. The number of reported human cases of tick-borne disease in the United States has tripled over the last two decades, and the geographic range of many tick species has expanded substantially due to changes in climate, land use, and animal and human movement. Recent passive surveillance efforts in Alaska revealed that non-native ticks, some with significant veterinary and medical importance, are present in the state, and tularemia is a known tick-borne disease threat. We will present on a new collaborative project between the University of Alaska (Anchorage and Fairbanks), the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the Office of the State Veterinarian to understand the risk of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Alaska. The project includes active surveillance of ticks in parks and recreational areas in Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula as well as the development of a passive surveillance program (Alaska Submit-A-Tick Program) to collect ticks from veterinarians, Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists, and the public. We will also be creating a habitat suitability model to identify where in Alaska ticks could survive if they were imported. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of ticks and tick-borne diseases, information on what to do if you find a tick, and updates on the project to date.

To access webinar and/or call-in

• The webinar room will open at 1:45 on April 16th, 2019. Click "Join Webinar" at the top of this message to enter the webinar room
• Please call in to the webinar rather than have the webinar call you.
  • Participant Call-in Line: 1-800-832-0736
  • Access Code: *6298822#
  • Participant Self Mute/Un-Mute Code: *#

*All LEO webinars are recorded and archived on the LEO Website.

Thank you LEO Network members for joining us in the April webinar.

Respectfully,

The LEO Team at ANTHC