The number of ticks in Michigan is growing by leaps and bounds, and state health officials want people to take precautions.

The two types of ticks commonly found in Michigan are the American dog tick, which can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and the deer tick, which can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

According to an entomologist with Michigan State University, ticks are showing up in big numbers in parts of the state that didn’t use to see them.

Kaisha Young, a journalist from Fox 47 TV News in Lansing, Michigan, looked into the story.  She interviewed MSU “Bug Man” Howard Russsell–and me (through the magic of Zoom).

Here’s her report:

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s Vice-president and Director of Communications. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.