Indiana health officials warn of ticks carrying Lyme disease

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Health department officials are warning Hoosiers of ticks carrying Lyme disease.

The Indiana State Department of Health says that ticks in several counties have been found carrying the bacterium that causes lyme disease.

ISDH says they are primarily in the northern, west central and south central portions of Indiana.

Officials are urging the public to protect themselves from tick bites in several ways.

ISDH sent these recommendations:

• 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
• Conducting frequent tick checks while outdoors

You can find county-specific data from ISDH by clicking here.