by Kate Shunney
With the very high prevalence of ticks and tick-borne disease like Lyme Disease in our area, careful protection against ticks and prevention of serious disease are high priorities for many residents and health officials.
The Berkeley-Morgan Health Department has recently started offering a new service aimed at reducing the impact of tick-borne disease locally.
At the Morgan County Health Department, located at The Pines (old hospital), individuals who have found a tick attached on them within the last 72 hours can be screened to receive a course of doxycycline – the antibiotic used to treat Lyme Disease and other infections.
The program started on July 6, said Nurse Director Tanya Manley. 
Individuals can walk in at the Health Department during business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To avoid wait times and help with screening, folks can call 304-258-1513 and press Option 1 for Clinical Services to make sure they are eligible for the treatment.
Manley said the prophylactic antibiotics will be available if individuals can answer “yes” to several criteria:
— Did the tick bite occur in West Virginia or other area with a high prevalence for Lyme Disease?
— Was the tick removed within the last 72 hours?
— Was the tick able to be identified as a blacklegged tick?
— Was the tick engorged with blood?
— Does the patient weigh at least 100 pounds?
— Can the patient take Doxycycline?
Manley said all of those screening questions must have a yes answer in order to give the course of antibiotics.
“We will assess the person for free, and if they answer yes to all the bulleted items we will provide treatment and the $25 fee will be charged. This treatment protocol has shown to decrease Lyme disease risk by 87%,” Manley said.
Any patient who is exhibiting the symptoms of Lyme Disease or other tick-borne illness, like a bull’s eye rash, fever, chills, headache, stiff neck fatigue, lower appetite, muscle and joint aches or swelling or swollen lymph nodes will be referred to a physician or medical practitioner, said Manley.
Morgan County Health Department is located at 137 War Memorial Drive in Berkeley Springs.
The program is also offered at Berkeley County’s Health Department in Martinsburg.
