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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Teen Voices on COVID-19

Mar 31, 2020 01:04PM ● By Isabella Dussias

A pandemic has swept the world. Some adults have stopped going to work, the elderly are confined to their houses and college students have returned to their hometowns. But what do teens think of these unprecedented times and an upheaval of life as we know it? 

We don’t get up early every morning to attend school, our practices and rehearsals have been cancelled and our social lives have come to a complete halt. It’s been quite an adjustment learning to communicate with our teachers and learn lessons online instead of in the classroom. While it’s nice to be able to sleep in, this new schedule is also a test of self-control. Without a rigid class schedule, I’ve learned to make choices on my own to become better at time management. I’ve also learned patience in dealing with online learning platforms, since technology can sometimes be finicky.

While online learning is totally new for us, online communication with friends is something we are very familiar with. We are constantly texting our friends or sharing posts over social media. Social distancing, however, is a new concept to us. We’re so used to going out with friends to the mall, restaurants and parties that following this new “six-foot rule” seems impossible. But we do it. 

Teens understand the severity of this virus. Even though we might not clean our rooms until we’re prodded, we all are washing our hands, keeping hand sanitizer with us and staying inside. Since the last pandemic was in 1918, none of us have ever seen anything like this in our lifetime. So we are all together in this, learning as we go. It may seem frightening at times, but it’s normal that with uncertainty comes uneasiness. 

Stay safe and stay healthy.

Isabella Dussias is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter/composer from New Jersey. She enjoys writing about issues that are important to today’s youth, and she believes music is an important outlet to connect people and share messages through the creativity of lyric and melody. For more information, please visit IsabellaDussias.com.

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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