St. Joseph County Department of Health preps for tick and mosquito season

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. – The St. Joseph County Department of Health held a roundtable Friday to discuss mosquito and tick-borne diseases as the area moves into summer.

The department is reporting an increase in tick populations in the area. Friday’s meeting discussed diseases like West Nile, EEE, and tick-borne diseases.

“Triple E seems to happen in 3-year bursts,” said Brett Davis, Assistant Director of Environmental Health. “2019 there was the outbreak, there was the outbreak in 2020. This would be year 3.”

So far, the county has collected a couple thousand mosquitoes this month but have not seen any cases of West Nile or EEE.

Officials are reminding residents to check themselves and pets for ticks and to use insect repellent to keep loved ones safe.