By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

While a major concern in the area during the warmer months of the year are the mosquitoes, the tick population has increased in the past few years.

Donnie Simmons is the environmental health director at the Livingston County Public Health Department and he describes the local tick population.

“Just to give you a little bit of an idea, back in 2000 in the State of Illinois, we had 40 cases of tick borne illnesses. Last year, we had 350 cases. So we’ve gone from 40 to 350 in just 16 years. So, this year, we’re expecting that number to be even greater and the number of ticks is increasing for whatever reason. But, just so people know, we have the ability to identify ticks, so if someone finds a tick on themselves after being out in the woods hiking or around your yard, bring it in and we’ll try to have it identified,” Simmons said.

Ticks known to be in the area include the Lone Star tick, dog tick and brown dog tick. The deer tick, known for transmitting Lyme disease, hasn’t made it to this part of Illinois, but Simmons said they may be here in the future.

For more information, call the health department at 844-7174.