Tick population spreading in Minnesota
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Disease-carrying ticks appear to be on the rise in Minnesota, and spreading to parts of the state that didn't have the bugs as recently as five years ago.
State Health Department Epidemiologist Melissa Kemperman says blacklegged ticks and deer ticks are spreading north and west, in Stearns, Wright and Todd counties. She said the reason for the increase isn't clear.
Ticks survive in woody or brushy habitats. It's likely the ticks
are being spread by birds, deer and people. The Health Department has also seen a steady increase in tick-borne diseases.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Kemperman says in the past two years, the department has had an average of about 1,000 reported cases of Lyme disease each year, double what it was in the late 1990s.
---
Information from: St. Cloud Times, http://www.sctimes.com
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
