Indiana health officials are encouraging Hoosiers to protect themselves from tick bites this summer. They say with the warming temperatures brings an increase in tick activity across the state.
The Indiana State Dept. of Health says recent field sampling has detected that ticks are already active this year.
The small, insect-like creatures found throughout Indiana in grassy and wooded areas tend to be most active during the late spring and early summer.
Indiana ticks can carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. In addition to Lyme disease, ticks can transmit a variety of other diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In 2017, Indiana reported more than 250 cases of tick-borne illness.
Reduce the risk of tick bites by:
Wearing light-colored clothing, long-sleeved pants and shirts,
Tucking in your shirt along with tucking your pants into your socks,
Using EPA-registered insect repellents with active ingredients such as DEET
and Treat pets for ticks
Anyone who becomes ill after finding an attached tick should see a medical provider immediately and alert the provider to the exposure. Tick-borne diseases can be treated with antibiotics, and prompt diagnosis can help prevent complications.
For more information about ticks and how to prevent the diseases they carry, see the state department of health website at in.gov/isdh.
