Indiana health officials are urging physicians to watch for tick bites following a death in Floyd County last month from ehrlichiosis. 
 
Indiana reported two ehrlichiosis deaths last year.

In addition to ehrlichiosis, Hoosiers in all counties are at risk for several other potentially severe tick-borne diseases. While Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in Indiana, Hoosiers are also at risk for a group of diseases that includes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They are also at risk for alpha-gal syndrome, a condition caused by tick bites that can trigger an allergic reaction to red meat. 

Anyone who becomes ill after finding an attached tick should be encouraged to see a physician immediately and alert the physician to the exposure. Most tick-borne diseases can be treated with antibiotics, and prompt diagnosis can help prevent complications. Testing ticks to see if they are carrying diseases is not generally recommended, as the information cannot reliably predict whether disease transmission occurred.

Visit the IDOH website for more information about ticks and how to prevent the diseases they carry, as well as a data dashboard. More information about tick bite prevention, including step-by-step instructions on how to safely remove an attached tick, is also available online.