Health officials warn Iowans to watch for ticks

Iowa Department of Public Health officials are investigating the first cases of Lyme Disease reported for the year.
In turn, health officials are warning state residents to take care to avoid areas where ticks live, such as wooded and tall grassy areas, and to check for ticks upon arriving home.
“You just don’t want that little parasite attached to you anyway,” Calhoun County Public Health Administrator Jane Condon said. “The length of time they’re on you is important.”
The shorter the time period the tick is attached, the less likely it is for a person to become infected with Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis, all diseases Iowa ticks can transmit. In Calhoun County, Condon said her department would typically investigate two to three cases of tick-borne illnesses annually. Statewide, 194 cases of Lyme Disease were confirmed last year.
Read morei in the May 20 edition.