GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Memorial Day is approaching and some will be spending time in the great outdoors.
As the weather warms, the risk of catching Lyme disease increases.
“Lyme disease is an infection spread by tick, caused by bacterium,” explained Rebecca Osborn with the state Department of Health Services.
Osborn said Lyme disease shows no signs of slowing.
“We do have data that suggest that Lyme disease has increased in the last several decades,” she said.
Last year, Wisconsin had more than 3,000 Lyme disease cases. The state health department said the average number of reported cases has more than doubled over the past 10 years.
“If you get a tick bite, we recommend being aware of any symptoms that may be developed within 30 days of that tick bite,” said Osborn.
She added that symptoms include fevers, joint pain, headaches and bulls-eye rashes.
To prevent the bug bite, Osborn said, “Avoid tick habitat, they tend to live in brushy, grassy, wooded areas, if you can stay on trails or try to stay away from tick habitats.”
And if you are in the wood, health experts say you should check your body for tick, take a shower, and dry your clothes on high heat for 10 minutes.
Wisconsin legislators are also bringing awareness to this growing problem by releasing five bills.
Bill draft numbers and an overview of the five bills is listed below. All five bills were circulated for co-sponsorship in the Legislature Thursday, and are circulating until Tuesday, June 4.
- LRBs 1758 and 3360 – Requires the DNR to post signs to raise awareness of Lyme disease, inform on how to prevent tick bites, and encourage visitors to check for ticks after visits to be posted in a common area, such as the park entrance, a trailhead or in a campground, in all State Parks, Forests, Recreational Areas, and Trails
- LRBs 1759 and 3359 – Requires the DNR to sell bug spray with DEET, which can help to repel ticks, in all State Parks and Forests when their Park or Forest Office or other location in the Park or Forest, such as a concession stand, is open
- LRBs 2738 and 3358 – Requires the DNR to post information in certain Parks brochures to raise awareness of Lyme disease, inform on how to prevent tick bites, and encourage visitors to check for ticks after visiting a State Park, and requires the DNR to complete an annual awareness campaign in May of each year, which is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, on digital and print platforms to raise awareness of Lyme disease, inform on how to prevent tick bites, and encourage visitors to check for ticks after spending time outdoors
- LRBs 1658 and 3355 – Provides an Epidemiologist Advanced position at DHS’s Division of Communicable Disease with the position dedicated to vector-borne diseases spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects with a specific focus on Lyme disease, including raising awareness about and creating informational materials about Lyme Disease and other vector borne diseases
- LRBs 1652 and 3362 – Establishes a sixteen-member Tick-Borne Disease Study Committee to create a report for the legislature on consensus-based recommendations for policy changes on awareness, prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, reporting, and treatment of Lyme disease
