To the Editor:
Thank you for publishing the letter from Dick Johnson about lone star larvae and the value of permethrin-treated clothing in preventing tick bites. I wanted to let your readers know that the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative, which funds the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program as well as other joint boards of health programs, has arranged for Islanders and visitors to receive a 15 percent discount on all Insect Shield products and services. You can order permethrin-treated clothing from them or send your own clothes to be treated. I have done a combination of both so that I have socks, pants, and shirts that protect me from tick bites. I then treat my shoes myself with permethrin spray you can find at SBS, Basics, Brickmans, etc. or purchase from Insect Shield. The spray-at-home solution lasts 6 weeks or 6 washings (whichever is sooner); Insect Shield treatment lasts 70. As a year-round Chilmark resident, I have never gotten a tick bite while wearing permethrin-treated clothes. Their website is InsectShield.com. Just be sure to use the discount code MARTHASV2024 at checkout.
Lea Hamner
Epidemiologist for the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative
