INDIANAPOLIS -- The number of cases of tick-borne disease is increasing in the State of Indiana
More than 100 cases of tick-borne disease have been reported in 2018, including one death in an elderly patient, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Ticks can transmit a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. There were more than 250 cases of tick-borne diseases in Indiana in 2017.
According to the ISDH, you can minimize your risk of transmitting a tick-borne disease by doing the following:
- Wearing a long-sleeved shirt and light-colored pants, with the shirt tucked in at the waist and the pants tucked into socks if they will be in grassy or wooded areas.
- Treating clothing and outdoor gear with 0.5% permethrin, an insect repellent commonly used for this purpose. Note that permethrin should NOT be used on bare skin.
- Using EPA-registered insect repellents with active ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone.
- Treating pets for ticks
To safely remove a tick, use tweezers to grasp the tick close to the skin and then pull outward with steady and even pressure. After the tick is removed, wash the area thoroughly. The tick should be discarded by submerging it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag or container, wrapping it tightly in tape or flushing it down the toilet.
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