The Suffolk County Legislature directed the creation of a “Tick Control Advisory Committee (TCAC) to advise the Division of Vector Control in developing a successful plan to reduce tick-borne illnesses in Suffolk County.” The development and funding of the plan should be noted as demonstration of an increased commitment to the challenge of reducing tick-borne illness, which can be built upon in future years. To this end, the TCAC has developed the following recommendations to guide and support Suffolk County Division of Vector Control with their yearly Plan of Work to reduce tick-borne illnesses in Suffolk County.

The Tick Control Advisory Committee recommends the following:

• Collaborate with Suffolk County Department of Health Services for a comprehensive countywide tick surveillance program addressing tick management and tick-borne pathogens
• Collaborate with other agencies, local governments and committees
• Continue participation in the Suffolk County Shared Services Initiative (i.e. SuffolkShare Public Health Partnership) which is a partnership of more than 100 local governments that cooperate on data sharing, providing or bartering goods or services, joint procurement, coordinating activities and collaborative problem solving
• Include language that supports a commitment to studying and implementing tick and host management techniques
• Support and maintain dedicated staffing to effectively address ticks and tick-borne diseases
• Continue developing integrated strategies for managing tick populations through the County Park Pilot Program
• Provide tick-related data to enable policy makers the ability to properly prioritize budgetary decisions
• Monitor the Asian longhorned tick with concern to residents, pets, wildlife and livestock
• Share information and best practices with interested parties including county elected officials and municipalities
• Maximize efforts in education and public outreach, using public messaging (e.g. public service announcements) especially for the at-risk populations
• Maximize efforts in tick-related research and tick-related collaborations with municipal and private efforts that undertake research that benefits committee and county objectives
• Conduct new and replicate field trials on efficacy testing of minimum risk, conventional and other pesticides as needed
• Continue to conduct tick population surveillance at bi-weekly surveillance sites and make these data available on a public-accessible website
• Seek funding wherever possible to increase resources for staff, equipment and other necessary items
• TCAC should remain active and continue to assist Vector Control as it addresses the reduction of tick-borne illnesses in Suffolk County

Additional information on ticks and tick-borne diseases in Suffolk County can be found on the Suffolk County Health Services website under the Arthropod-Borne Disease Program.