FROM INDIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

The Indiana Department of Health warns Hoosiers to take precautions against tick bites.

The department says Hoosiers are at risk for tick-borne illnesses in every part of the state — and not just Lyme disease.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, can be fatal if it’s not treated in the first few days. The I-D-O-H urges Hoosiers who feel sick after finding a tick on them to see a doctor immediately  .Most tick diseases can be treated with antibiotics.

The diseases have been on the rise over the past decade. More warm days can allow ticks to feed on people longer during the year. It also allows new disease-carrying ticks — like the Gulf Coast Tick — to live farther north than before.

The I-D-O-H says to wear bug spray with DEET when you go outside — or another Environmental Protection Agency-approved ingredient.

Last week there was a tick disease related death in Floyd County, Indiana.