The arrival of warmer weather in southeast Iowa brings back the threat of lyme disease. Lynn Fisher is a registered nurse with Washington County Public Health and describes lyme disease as a tick-born illness which leaves varying degrees of symptoms including fever, headache, fatigue, and skin rash. Fisher says a bullseye rash is among the earliest signs that a person has contracted lyme disease.

Ticks are primarily found in wooded areas and places with tall grasses. Fisher suggests different ways people can prevent getting bit by ticks, including wearing long sleeve clothing outdoors, staying on paved walking trails, and using insect repellent with DEET. She also recommends taking a shower less than two hours after being outside to help keep ticks from embedding into your body. Fisher adds ticks love hiding in the skin folds of the human body such as arms, elbows, the back of knees, in the scalp, and around the neck and ears.

Fisher says up to 10 people from Washington County contract lyme disease every year, and 285 cases were confirmed in the state of Iowa last year. For more information about lyme disease call Washington County Public Health and listen to the full interview with Fisher on Thursday’s In Touch with Southeast Iowa.