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Connecticut Public Television is an honored recipient of the following national media awards in 1999:
Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) has produced a 60-minute documentary on Lyme disease, narrated by Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep. The program was developed through a grant awarded by the Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID) in FY1998 with funding from a cooperative agreement for Lyme disease education. The documentary will emphasize that Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease and present a comprehensive strategy for its prevention and control. It highlights practical prevention and control steps that persons can take themselves to avoid the disease and its costly and potentially disabling complications. According to producer Mary Ann Shanahan, “Narration by Meryl Streep, Connecticut resident, actress, and mother of four children, will add warmth and credibility to the documentary.” The format of the program follows the stories of a gardener, a golfer, and a grade school boy, all of whom became infected with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi from the bite of a deer tick. The prevention message focuses on avoidance of tick-infested environments; the application of personal protection methods to prevent tick bites, such as use of repellents and proper clothing; and routine checking of oneself and other family members for ticks, coupled with proper tick removal. As well, the documentary demonstrates practical and successful methods for tick reduction and control, including management of vegetation, application of acaricides to vegetation and deer feeding stations, appropriate fencing to keep deer from property, and rodent control. Video footage is enhanced with digital video graphics, photographs, and field shots to bring the viewer a vivid sense of tick biology and the relationship to the viewer’s environment. The film also reviews early symptoms of Lyme disease, with an emphasis on prompt diagnosis and treatment. CPTV worked closely with DVBID to ensure that the material was current and scientifically accurate. Ms. Shanahan, a health educator, previously directed the award-winning Public Broadcast Service (PBS) documentary “Children and Asthma: A Matter of Life and Breath,” featuring Olympic Gold Medal sprinter Jackie Joyner Kersee, a life-long sufferer of asthma.
“Television is an extremely competitive market. You have to produce a very attractive product to get and retain the viewer’s interest. If your product is amateurish, the viewers will know. They are sophisticated, ” acknowledges Ms. Shanahan, who also hosts a weekly cable television show, “The Best of Health.” “It was during my research for a segment on Lyme disease for 'The Best of Health' that I became fascinated with this tick-borne illness. I learned that my own state of Connecticut has one of the highest incidence rates in the U.S.,” explains Ms. Shanahan. The program will be close-captioned and dubbed in Spanish, with spin-off public service announcements (PSAs) and commentary segments for use on National Public Radio. Beyond the costs of development, CPTV assumed all costs and responsibility for promoting, publicizing, and broadcasting the educational documentary, PSAs, and commentary segments. “Based on various rating services, such as Nielsens and Arbitron, 62% (2,030,000) of all Connecticut residents watch Connecticut Public Television,” says Don Russell, CPTV General Manager. Mr. Russell was confident that CPTV alone has a viewing audience of 278,000 per program aired. PBS affiliates in New England and Upper Midwest have requested copies of the documentary for local broadcast, thus ensuring a wide viewing audience in Lyme disease-endemic areas. To obtain a copy of the documentary, contact Connecticut Public Television and Radio at 860-278-5310. For more information on this educational effort, contact DVBID.
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| CDC Home | Search | Health Topics A-Z | This page last reviewed September 19, 2001 | Division
of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases | |
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