State health officials are urging Wisconsinites to watch out for ticks this summer.
There are growing concerns about the insects and their ability to transmit Lyme disease, after Wisconsin saw nearly 2,000 cases last year.
The Department of Health Services says asking spending time outdoors this summer should avoid wooded areas and tall grass, where the insects tend to live and attach on to people and animals. DHS spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis says it's important to notice an embedded tick quickly, since it takes 24 hours for a bite to transmit the disease. Marquis says the best way to remove a tick is to use tweezers.
If it's not noticed in time, it may be several weeks before symptoms of Lyme disease show up. Those include fever, headache, chills, and muscle pain. Most are treatable with antibiotics if caught early on.
Nationally, cases of Lyme disease have more than doubled since 1991.
