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The tick population has increased considerably in Minnesota.
The number of ticks in Minnesota keeps increasing, according to new reports. Dave Neitzel from the Health Department in Minnesota says that it is important for the inhabitants of Minnesota to know that the tick population has increased and expanded to new areas, in order to be more careful.
The ticks are also known as deer ticks and they carry a lot of diseases, of which the Lyme disease is the most dangerous. The ticks are not fast and they infect the people only when they are in their natural habitat. The ticks ca be found mostly in the wooded areas, but they can also be found in the cities where there are green spaces, like parks. The first symptom of a bite is the rash that resembles a bull’s eye, in the center of which the tick can be found. This rash normally occurs a week after the tick has bitten the human and usually it is not painful nor itchy. Other symptoms of a bite include tiredness, headaches and fever. If the tick is not remove, then symptoms of a bite will include severe headaches, neck stiffness, heart palpitations, joint pains and the problems with moving the sides of the face. Even when treated, some people still feel tired, have joint pains and memory issues.
In 1991 the number of ticks began to increase, and so did the Lyme disease cases. In the recent years, the cases of Lyme disease increased a lot in Minnesota. The number of ticks and of cases can fluctuate from year to year, according to the weather. When the weather is dry, the ticks stay in the dirt, but when the weather is wet they are out and looking for hosts. From 1996 until 2005, every year around 464 cases of Lyme disease have been reported. From 2006 until 2014, an average of 1,065 Lyme disease patients have been registered. That shows a concerning increase.
Last year, ticks were found in 49% of the counties from 43 states in the United States, which shows that the tick infestation has been increasing nationwide, not only in Minnesota. Previous reports from CDC showed that 9 out of the 87 counties in Minnesota were infested with ticks. Last year though, 45 counties out of 87 were reported to be infested with ticks.
The number of ticks in Minnesota keeps increasing, according to a research done by the Centers for Disease Control, which was published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, on Monday.
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