Tick Activity in Illinois Increases Nearly 900% Since 1996

In a recent study, actually the first in over 15 years, experts examined the spread of Lyme disease-bearing ticks in the United States. By performing a county by county comparison, they were able to trace the increase and expansion of tick populations, which has been attributed primarily to climate changes that have resulted in temperatures and environments that continue to be directly conducive to tick life and reproduction. Seeing the biggest increases in the northeast and northern United States, the study first detailed on STAT, focused on the two tick species most responsible for the spread of Lyme disease, Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis.

Clearly an increasing danger to the populace of America, Lyme disease has been ever on the rise in the past few decades and is now an even greater danger than anyone would have anticipated. Published in the Journal of Medical Entomology on Monday, it was discovered that the number of counties housing established tick populations in Illinois increased from only 4 in 1996 to 35 counties in 2015, thus explaining the noticeable increase in tick activity these past few years.

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