Statewide—Indiana health officials are urging Hoosiers to protect themselves from tick bites while outdoors as warmer weather increases tick activity. Reported cases of tick-borne disease continue to increase each year in Indiana, with more than 300 cases reported to the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) in 2019.
ISDH has found adult and immature ticks, or nymphs, carrying Lyme disease bacteria in many Indiana counties. Ticks can transmit several diseases in addition to Lyme disease, such as ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, so preventing tick bites can protect Hoosiers from all tick-borne illnesses, Brown said.
Hoosiers can reduce the risk of tick bites by:
- 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, which is an insect repellent specifically designed for this purpose (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 their pets for ticks
