The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is in the middle of a five-year effort to assess the effects of tick-borne illnesses in the state- including Lyme Disease.
The surveillance effort began in July of last year, with the goal of tracking the activity level of ticks at all stages of life.
The effort was one of several recommendations from the state’s Lyme Disease Task Force.
DEP spokesperson Elizabeth Rementer says this issue stretches beyond rural and forested areas of the state.
“People can be susceptible to a tick-bite in any outdoor area,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a wooded area. Ticks are present in every county in Pennsylvania.”
Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation when it comes to Lyme Disease, according to the CDC. There were over 9,200 confirmed cases in 2017.
