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County health official outlines Lyme and mosquito risks, urges prevention measures
Summary
The county health department’s vector coordinator briefed the council on rising Lyme disease and West Nile indicators in St. Joseph County, described larvicide successes in targeted catch basins, and urged resident prevention steps and intergovernmental coordination on mosquito control.
Brett (last name not specified), vector coordinator for the St. Joseph County Health Department, told the county council that the county leads Indiana in reported Lyme disease cases and has had elevated West Nile virus detections in mosquitoes in recent years.
"About 47 percent of the adult black-legged ticks tested in St. Joe County have come back positive for Lyme disease," Brett said, attributing the high rates to a mix of habitat, deer and small-mammal populations along northern river corridors and to residential development that brings people into tick habitat.
Brett said ticks and mosquitoes are the department’s primary concerns but noted occasional public requests about other pests, including bed bugs, rats and a raccoon roundworm case earlier in the year. He outlined three broad program areas: response to specific findings, proactive mitigation (eliminating standing water and targeted larvicide), and public education.
On the mosquito side, Brett described a larval-control program that last year produced a 30% reduction in total mosquitoes countywide and a 70% reduction in treated catch-basin areas. He encouraged collaboration with municipal public-works departments to identify and treat catch basins that hold water and breed mosquitoes and described available do-it-yourself products residents can use for small water sources (mosquito dunks, mosquito bits, or certified larvicide tablets for birdbaths and rain barrels).
Council members asked about trends, eradication prospects, and the role of local wildlife. Brett said reported Lyme cases have increased and are likely undercounted because many patients receive prompt treatment without formal reporting. He cautioned that eradicating ticks is not presently feasible but said research and localized reduction methods are progressing. He also corrected a common belief about opossums: "That came from one bad study...they found more bottle caps than they found ticks in stomach contents," he said, explaining opossums are not a reliable tick-control solution.
Brett said the department will share his slide presentation with council staff and welcomed coordination with South Bend, Mishawaka and other municipalities on catch-basin treatment and surveillance.
He urged residents to take simple actions—remove standing water, clean gutters, and use EPA-registered repellents—and offered the health department as a point of contact for larger or persistent problems.
The briefing closed with council members thanking the vector coordinator and asking staff to circulate the presentation slides.
