Increase in Indiana tick activity prompts warning

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana health officials say warmer temperatures increase tick activity, and they encourage Hoosiers to protect themselves from tick bites.

The Indiana State Department of Health said Friday that recent field sampling found adult and immature ticks carrying the bacterium that causes Lyme disease in several counties, particularly in the northern, west central, and south central parts of the state. Maps displaying the tick infection data are available online .

It says ticks can also transmit other diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

The department says people can reduce their risk of tick bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts and light-colored pants while in grassy or wooded areas, using insect repellents, and conducting frequent tick checks while outdoors.