posted
This is the transcript from WCAX TV in Vermont.
27} DEERTICKS_PKG
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Biology students from U-32 in Montpelier head out on a field trip... Into an actual field. Wearing protective suits, they're looking for a tiny pest. ((Julie Bigelow/U32 Sophomore: 9:51: I found one at my house the other day.)) This is part of an extended project that has the students studying Lyme disease: its causes, symptoms, and how to prevent its spread. ((Julie Bigelow/U32 Sophomore: 11:26: We don't want people to get sick and get permanent damage.)) Deer ticks carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The infection can have severe effects if untreated -- damaging organs and the nervous system. So these young scientists want to help track the tick population in Vermont. If it were to swell -- so, too, could the risk for lyme disease. ((Maggie Desch/Biology Teacher: 19:03: Anything that we can learn in class that we can tie into our everyday lives is great.)) ((Jack Thurston/Reporting: This is not your average class project. What, if anything, these students find in these fields will be shared with the state entomologist. He will use the bugs for official testing.)) ((Chayton Boucher/U32 Sophomore: 22:50: It's not like any other research project I've done.)) ((Maggie Desch/Biology Teacher: 15:57: They understand this is data used by the state and they take this responsibility very seriously.)) Because the students' findings may impact research at the state level, the kids must follow strict standards for gathering samples. Several groups have yet to find a single deer tick. But that does not frustrate these students. They're still learning about the scientific process. Plus -- not finding bugs may suggest the tick population in this part of Central Vermont could be low. ((Chayton Boucher/U32 Sophomore: 22:59: We're doing a good job out here, and the more we find, the better off the people are.)) The young scientists continue their search for bugs -- and for more knowledge about a debilitating disease. Jack Thurston, Channel 3 News, in Montpelier. 28} HEADLINES_FONT
It's nice to have any kind of mention of Lyme, especially here in VT where people think that there are no ticks or people with Lyme.
lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
Looks like a good grassroots effort by these kids......hope none of them get infected........
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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