LINCOLN, Neb. (KCAU) – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) received a report of a death related to an illness from ticks.
According to Nebraska’s DHHS website, a man in his 60s died from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a disease carried by ticks.
DHHS has also seen an increase in reports of people with Ehrlichiosis, another tick-related illness. On average, the Department receives four reports of Ehrlichiosis in a year, nine reports have already been received to date.
“Ticks can be efficient carriers of disease and these tick-related illnesses can be serious and sadly, sometimes fatal,” said Dr. Tom Safranek, state epidemiologist for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). “In a year when many of us are spending more time outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nebraskans need to practice the basics of tick prevention to reduce the risk of tick bites.”
For more information about tick bites and how to prevent them, the Nebraska DHHS website has a place you can visit at cdc.gov/ticks
