Source: Buckmasters From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources -- By Lowell Washburn
Common Sense Precautions Key to Avoiding Lyme Disease 
From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
-- Iowa woodlands are turning green. For local outdoor enthusiasts, the time has arrived for such things as serious spring birding, matching wits with fan tailed gobblers and, of course, the perpetual quest for fresh morel mushrooms.
Unfortunately, the long awaited warm weather also marks the beginning of the annual tick season. And with those ticks comes an increasing threat of the diseases these parasites transmit—including the now infamous Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a debilitating tick-borne illness that can rapidly transform your life into a living nightmare. Transmitted by the blacklegged (deer) tick, Lyme disease is on the increase across Iowa.
"Although at least 15 different species of ticks have been identified in Iowa, only three of those species—dog ticks, lone star ticks and blacklegged ticks—are known to attack humans or pets. And although all three species can transmit disease to humans, only the blacklegged tick can transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease," says Jon Oliver, manager of Iowa State University's Lyme Disease Surveillance Program.
"There's no question that deer ticks are expanding their range across Iowa and that population densities are growing," says Oliver. "In 1993, there were a total of eight diagnosed cases of Lyme disease across the entire state. Today, we're seeing over 100 new cases each year and the number continues to grow. Given the fact that we're seeing more deer ticks in more Iowa counties each year, it's really no surprise that we're also seeing an increase in disease."