More people are visiting Wisconsin emergency departments for tick bites this year, data shows
According to the data, rates of tick bite-associated visits to emergency departments in Wisconsin are slightly up from last year at 79 visits for tick bites per 10,000 ED visits, according to data from May 26 to June 1.
Ticks are usually active in Wisconsin from May to November, but the pests are starting to make their appearance earlier than previous years as Wisconsin experiences warmer winters, according to the DHS.
"We've had several consecutive warm winters in Wisconsin, so this could be boosting tick populations again this year," wrote DHS spokesperson Elizabeth Goodsitt.
"It's also possible that some of the increase in tick bite-related emergency department visits could be from other factors ... like better awareness of tick-related illnesses, their associated symptoms, and when to seek health care," she added.
While ticks are active, Wisconsinites can contract Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks. Rates of Lyme disease have tripled in Wisconsin over the past 15 years, according to DHS. In 2023, Wisconsin had more than 6,000 cases of Lyme disease, the highest on record. About 4,000 cases were reported each year between 2018 and 2022.
RELATED: Ticks are out in force across Wisconsin right now. Here's what to do after a tick bite
You can scan the QR code in the photo above and fill out the survey to receive more information from the DHS.
Health care providers should also report cases to the local health department. Make sure to complete your report within 72 hours of recognizing a case. For more information, you can visit the state DHS web page on disease reporting.
Before heading outside, you can treat your clothing and gear with a chemical insecticide called permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remains on gear through several washings. You can also buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
When you're outside, avoid wooded areas with high grass, and walk in the center of trails. After you come indoors, check your clothing for ticks. You can tumble dry your clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.
Additionally, dogs are especially susceptible to tick bites because they are more likely to run through wooded and grassy areas. Talk to your veterinarian about the best tick prevention products for your pet.
Check your pets regularly for ticks, especially after they spend time outdoors. Be sure to look for ticks around the tail, ears and eyelids, and under the front legs, back legs and between the toes. If you find a tick remove it immediately.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks, which are small, and can often go unnoticed. Symptoms typically develop three to 30 days after being bitten by a tick.
The symptoms include:
Fever
Chills
Fatigue
Muscle aches
Joint pain
Nausea
Expanding rash, often in the shape of a bullseye
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rates of tick bites, Lyme disease up in 2025 in Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Possible case of rare tick-borne virus investigated on Martha's Vineyard
Most cases occur in the Northeast and Great Lakes region from late spring through mid-fall, according to the Advertisement 'The virus is present every year in a small percentage of deer ticks; fortunately, severe disease remains very rare,' Dr. Sam Telford, a Tufts University professor who has conducted research on Martha's Vineyard, said in a statement. Collaborating with the island's tick program, his lab tested more than 3,500 nymph deer ticks between 2021 and 2024. Between 1 and 2 percent of deer ticks were infected, he said. 'This is a similar rate to that seen elsewhere in New England,' he said. 'This suggests that many people who are exposed may successfully fight off the virus without ever knowing they were infected.' Advertisement Officials did not disclose the age of the resident, or when they might have been infected with the virus. But the Vineyard Gazette reported the virus was found in a 'We certainly had no idea a 20-minute walk on the West Tisbury bike path beside our home, a walk we do most every day, could potentially cause my child her life. Please, please, please check yourselves, your children and your pets. It was the tiniest nymph tick the size of a needle tip,' Tiffany Sisco and Marcus Sisco wrote in a 'Lastly please continue the love and prayers for our sweet daughter Lily Sisco, she's one hell of a fighter!' the family wrote, linking to a to help pay for medical costs that has raised more than $20,000. On the Vineyard, nymph deer ticks, the second life stage of ticks, are most active from May through July, Patrick Roden-Reynolds, the director of the island's tick program, said in a statement. 'This makes nymph deer ticks the main driver of infectious diseases such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, borrelia miyamotoi , and Powassan virus,' he said. However, 'adult deer ticks become active in the fall and remain so throughout the winter and early spring whenever temperatures exceed 40″ degrees. Advertisement Lea Hamner, contract epidemiologist for Dukes County, said preventing tick bites is the best protection. Officials recommended taking steps including using EPA-registered tick repellents, treating clothing and gear with permethrin, an insecticide, wearing snug-fitting and light-colored clothing, and performing daily tick checks. Shannon Larson can be reached at
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
12 natural ways to improve erectile dysfunction — including a trick you might think is only for women
Life's hard enough without things going soft under the sheets. Between 30 million and 50 million men in the US are facing erectile dysfunction (ED) — including a staggering 70% of men over 70. While little blue pills like Viagra have long been the trusted wingmen, experts say there's a whole arsenal of tools that can help you rise to the occasion without a trip to the doctor. 6 The risk of erectile dysfunction increases as you get older, but men of all ages can be affected. Kaspars Grinvalds – The Post caught up with Dr. Jason B. Carter, board-certified urologist and Medical Advisor at Aeroflow Urology, who laid out 12 ways to boost your bedroom game — including one surprising tip usually reserved for women's health circles. What exactly is ED, and what causes it? It's when men struggle to get or keep an erection firm enough for satisfying sex at least 25% of the time, according to Harvard Health Publishing. ED is common, but it's not a normal part of aging. Stress at work, relationship drama, depression, and even some medications can play a role. But for about 75% of men, the cause is more complicated. Sometimes, it can signal a deeper medical issue. 'Low testosterone can contribute to ED, fatigue and low libido,' Carter explained. 6 ED can be caused by physical or psychological issues, including hormone imbalances. Nadzeya – Mild or occasional ED can also be an early warning sign for heart trouble. 'The penile arteries are small and particularly sensitive to changes in blood flow,' Carter said. 'Addressing ED early can reveal, and help prevent, more serious underlying conditions.' If your ED is linked to another health issue, treating that first might fix the problem. But if not, Carter shared 12 lifestyle changes that can help you stand tall again. #1: Get your heart pumping Carter's first piece of advice is simple: Move more. 'I encourage patients to aim for at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity and two to three strength sessions weekly,' he said. 'Even walking after dinner can make a difference.' 6 Research shows that regular physical activity can be as effective as some medications in improving erectile function. michaelheim – Cardio workouts can improve blood vessel health, reduce inflammation, boost insulin sensitivity and increase nitric oxide — a chemical that's key for erections. Meanwhile, resistance training helps maintain testosterone levels and muscle mass, both essential for keeping things going strong in the bedroom. #2: Lose the belly 'A waistline over 40 inches is a known risk factor for ED,' Carter warned. That belly fat isn't just sitting there. Instead, it's hormonally active, lowering testosterone levels, increasing inflammation and impairing blood circulation. All of that makes it tougher to get it up and keep it that way. 'Losing even 5 to 10% of body weight can significantly improve symptoms,' Carter said. #3: Eat like the Greeks A Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins can boost the production of nitric oxide. It also boosts the endothelium — the inner lining of your blood vessels — which plays a key role in controlling blood flow to the penis, essential for strong erections. 6 Focus on heart-healthy foods and weight management to improve blood flow and overall sexual health. EdNurg – 'Leafy greens, beets, salmon, berries, nuts, and olive oil are excellent choices,' Carter recommended. 'Avoid processed carbs, sugary beverages, and fried foods, which impair circulation.' #4: Quit smoking and cut back on booze 'I advise limiting alcohol to one or two drinks per day, and eliminating tobacco altogether,' Carter said. Tobacco — even from vaping — wrecks blood vessels and cuts blood flow to the penis. Meanwhile, heavy drinking suppresses testosterone levels and desensitizes the nervous system, he explained. #5: Sleep tight Testosterone peaks during deep sleep, so don't skimp on the shut-eye. Sleep apnea, insomnia or even a irregular sleep schedule can throw your hormones off and make ED worse, Carter warned. 'Men should aim for 7–8 hours of restful sleep nightly and consider a sleep study if snoring or fatigue is present,' he advised. #6: Chill out Stress triggers your body's 'fight or flight' mode, which shuts down arousal. Performance anxiety and emotional strain can also block the erection reflex. For this, 'daily mindfulness practices, therapy, breathing exercises and relationship support can be surprisingly effective,' Carter said. #7: Try Kegels 'Yes, Kegels work for men too,' Carter said. 6 Kegel exercises involve contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. DragonImages – This exercise firms up the pelvic floor muscles — which form a sling that supports your bladder bowel, and prostate — helping with bladder and bowel control, sexual function and core strength. 'I recommend three sets of 10–15 slow contractions daily, holding each for 3–5 seconds,' Carter said, noting that this can help improve erection rigidity and ejaculation control. #8: Check your medicine cabinet Certain medications, including SSRIs, blood pressure drugs and antihistamines, can tank your performance. 'Patients should never stop a prescribed medication without guidance, but they should ask if alternatives exist,' Carter said. 'I also caution against unregulated 'testosterone boosters' or male enhancement supplements sold online.' #9: Cut back on the porn For some, Carter said too much screen time can dull your sexual response and make real-life intimacy less satisfying. 6 An unexpected consequence of heavy porn use is sexual dysfunction. uladzimirzuyeu – 'Taking a break or cutting back can help reset arousal pathways and improve responsiveness,' he advised. #10: Embrace the cold Cold showers or ice baths — even just 30 to 90 seconds — can boost circulation, cut inflammation and give your dopamine production a gentle nudge, Carter said. 'While not a standalone treatment, this practice may offer additional benefits when part of a larger health routine,' he noted. #11: Mind your nutrients Zinc, vitamin D, magnesium and B vitamins all play a big role in hormone production and nerve health — but studies show that plenty of Americans are running low on these essentials. 'Men with restricted diets or absorption issues may benefit from lab testing and physician-guided supplementation,' Carter said. #12: Turn feelings into firepower 'Erectile function is not just physical, it's relational,' Carter said. Trust, affection and good communication boost sexual confidence and performance. Studies show that men who have stronger emotional bonds with their partner tend to have fewer ED issues or bounce back faster. 'Investing in your relationship outside the bedroom often improves what happens inside it,' Carter said.
Vox
12 hours ago
- Vox
What happens when we lose global health data?
is a fellow for Future Perfect. He reports on global health, science, and biomedicine, focusing on how policies and systems shape progress. A census enumerator, right, talks with a Maasai woman during the population and housing census, the first time being conducted digitally, at a village in Engikaret on August 23, 2022. AFP via Getty Images When President Donald Trump and Elon Musk fed the US Agency for International Development into the wood chipper earlier this year, one of the lesser-known casualties was the shutdown of an obscure but crucial program that tracked public health information on about half of the world's nations. For nearly 40 years, the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has served as the world's health report card. In that time, it has carried out over 400 nationally representative surveys in more than 90 countries, capturing a wide range of vital signs such as maternal and child health, nutrition, education levels, access to water and sanitation, and the prevalence of diseases like HIV and malaria. Taken together, it offered perhaps the clearest picture ever compiled of global health. And that clarity came from how rigorous these surveys were. Each one started with a globally vetted blueprint of questions, used by hundreds of trained local surveyors who went door-to-door, conducting face-to-face interviews in people's homes. The final, anonymized data was then processed by a single contractor ICF International, a private consulting firm based in Reston, Virginia, which made the results standardized and comparable across countries and over time. Its data powered global estimates from institutions like the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which in turn shaped public health policy, research, and funding decisions around the world. 'If DHS didn't exist, comparing anemia across countries would be a PhD thesis,' said Doug Johnson, a senior statistician at the nonprofit IDinsight. Crucially, DHS also tracked things few other systems touched, like gender-based violence, women's autonomy, and attitudes toward domestic abuse. Doctor's offices aren't representative and only capture folks who can access a formal health care system. Also, since DHS data is anonymized, unlike a police report, responders don't have to fear intervention if they don't want it. 'You can't get answers from other sources to sensitive questions like the ones DHS posed,' said Haoyi Chen from the UN Statistics Division, pointing to one example: Is a husband justified in beating his wife if she burns the food? Then, earlier this year, DHS was shut down. The decision came as part of the Rescissions Act of 2025, a bill passed in June that clawed back $9.4 billion from foreign aid and other programs. Eliminating DHS saved the government some $47 million a year — only about 0.1 percent of the total US aid budget, or half the cost of a single F-35 fighter jet. Future Perfect Explore the big, complicated problems the world faces and the most efficient ways to solve them. Sent twice a week. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. That tiny budget cut has had immediate consequences. The move halted around 24 in-progress country surveys – 10 of which were just short of final publication, and three in Ethiopia, Guinea, and Uganda that were stopped mid-fieldwork. The program's public-facing website remains up, but the machinery behind it is gone. With no one to approve new applications, the process for researchers to access the underlying microdata has ground to a halt. How the DHS has saved lives The shutdown isn't just about numbers on a spreadsheet. Here's how DHS data has shaped policy and saved lives across the globe. Guinea: DHS data was used to help tailor the rollout of the new malaria vaccine India: The 2019–2021 national survey (India's version of the DHS) showed a stark gap in menstrual hygiene between urban and rural areas, which prompted a new national policy to address the disparity. Nepal: A 2016 DHS survey revealed stagnating maternal mortality rates. This spurred the government to enhance its Safe Motherhood Program , resulting in more women delivering babies in health facilities rather than homes — and fewer women dying in childbirth. Nigeria: DHS surveys showed child marriage rates as high as 76 percent in some states. Advocates used that as evidence to successfully push local governments to strengthen their laws against the practice. There will also be long-term damage. When governments or aid organizations can no longer see exactly where children are malnourished, where malaria outbreaks are quietly spreading, or where mothers are dying in childbirth, they can't effectively target life-saving interventions, leaving the most vulnerable populations to pay the price. For 24 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali, the DHS was the sole data source for the UN's official maternal mortality estimates. Going forward, 'it would just be basically estimates that are based on other countries' data,' says Saloni Dattani, a editor on science and global health at Works in Progress magazine and 2022 Future Perfect 50 honoree. 'We just wouldn't know.' Without the data DHS provided, foreign aid becomes less effective, and less accountable 'We have no way of externally or objectively estimating the positive impact that those [aid] programs are having, or negative,' said Livia Montana, the former deputy director of the DHS Program, who is now a survey director for the Understanding America Study at the University of Southern California. Naturally, the global health community has been scrambling to plug the enormous gap. The Gates Foundation recently committed $25 million in emergency funding to rescue some ongoing surveys, and Bloomberg Philanthropies has also stepped in with a separate commitment to support the effort. This funding is a crucial lifeline, but only a stopgap. The search for a long-term fix has forced a reckoning with the old programs' flaws. Everyone agrees that DHS delivered high-quality, trusted data — but it wasn't perfect. Many experts have criticized it as fundamentally 'donor-driven,' with priorities that didn't always align with the national interests of the countries it surveyed. For instance, the program's historic focus on reproductive health was a direct reflection of the priorities of its primary funder, USAID, and some country officials privately felt the data served the accountability needs of international organizations better than their own immediate planning needs. This has created a central dilemma for the global development community: is it possible to build a new system that is both genuinely country-led and also globally comparable? A lifeline and a reckoning Faced with this data vacuum, an obvious question arises: Why can't other global organizations like the World Health Organization or the United Nations simply step in and take over? It's not out of the question, but it would be really, really difficult. Think of it this way: The DHS Program was like a single, powerful architecture firm that perfected a blueprint and built houses in 90 neighborhoods for 40 years. Because it was a single program managed by private contractor, ICF International, and backed by one major funder, USAID, it could enforce a standardized methodology everywhere it worked. As a for-profit firm, ICF's interest was also financial, it managed the global contract and profited from the work. The UN and WHO, by contrast, act as the global city planners: Their mandate isn't to design and build the houses themselves, but to set the building codes and safety standards for everyone. According to WHO, its role is not to 'directly fund population-based surveys,' but to provide leadership and bring the right stakeholders together. While that mandate may prevent the UN from simply inheriting the old program's work, it makes it an ideal coordinator for the path forward, says Caren Grown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Sustainable Development. Grown argues that the UN is the only body that can handle the 'heavy lift' of coordinating all the different countries, donors, and organizations. And now that the DHS has been dissolved, both Grown and Chen are now part of a UN task force attempting to establish new internationally agreed-upon standards for how health data should be collected and governed. At the same time, other efforts are more focused on the practical work of implementation rather than on global governance. Montana is leading a coalition to 'rebuild elements of DHS' by creating a global consortium of research institutions that can provide technical support to countries. These efforts were catalyzed by initial conversations hosted by organizations like the Population Reference Bureau, which brought together donors, government agencies, and global data users to grapple with the shutdown's immediate aftermath. Critics argue that for every India, there are a dozen other nations where the program's sudden collapse is proof that a deep, sustainable capacity was never built. Between this mishmash, the most practical development has been a lifeline from the Gates Foundation, which announced a $25 million investment in 'bridge funding.' Separately, in a statement to Vox, Bloomberg Philanthropies confirmed its commitment to fund the completion of an additional 12-country surveys over the next eight months. A source from the Gates Foundation clarified that Bloomberg's commitment is on top of theirs, confirming the two are distinct but coordinated rescue efforts. The Gates Foundation framed its effort as a temporary, stabilizing measure designed to give the global health community a much-needed respite. 'We believe data is — and must remain — a global public good,' said Janet Zhou, a director focused on data and gender equality at the Gates Foundation. 'Our interim support is helping to stabilize 14 ongoing country surveys. … This investment is designed to give global partners and national governments the time and space needed to build a more sustainable, country-led model for health data.' That support is aimed at the most urgent work: finishing surveys that were nearly complete, like in Ethiopia, and reopening the four-decade-old data archive. But rather than giving each respective country the money to complete their ongoing surveys, the Gates funding will be administered by ICF International, the same for-profit firm that ran the original DHS. The decision to work with the existing contractor, ICF International, was a pragmatic one. Continuing with the same implementer was the 'quickest, most affordable way' to prevent waste, and 'multiple host countries have shared a preference' to complete their work with the firm, said a source at the Gates Foundation. A Sudanese mother sits with her children at a shelter in the al-Qanaa village in Sudan's southern White Nile state on September 14, 2021. Ashraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images It's a powerful argument for triage in an emergency, but it also papers over deeper flaws. Take a look at Nigeria, for example: Fieldwork for its 2023–'24 DHS finished in May 2024, and the questionnaires gathered new estimates of maternal and child deaths. Nigeria also ran a separate study to probe exactly why mothers and children are dying. In principle, the two datasets should dovetail but beyond a headline-numbers report, the full DHS micro-dataset is still in ICF's processing queue — likely frozen after DHS's shuttering. That bottleneck illustrates what critics mean by 'donor-driven.' With barely 3 percent of household surveys in low-income countries fully-financed by the local government, the WHO notes, most nations must rely on 'externally led surveys…limiting continuity and national ownership.' When the donor funding stops, so does the data pipeline. An ICF spokesperson pushed back saying survey priorities were 'primarily shaped by the participating countries.' Yet, of the $25 million that arrived from Gates, a large portion of it will go toward completing large-scale surveys in Nigeria and Kenya, two countries that also happen to be key 'geographies of interest' for the Gates Foundation's own strategic priorities, underscoring how funders still steer the spotlight. Insiders I spoke with described ICF's system as a 'black box,' with key parts of its methodology controlled by the contractor, leaving countries without the capacity to stand on their own. That matters because without home-grown statisticians and know-how, ministries can't rerun surveys or update indicators without outside help. In response, ICF stated that the program has a 'proven track record of building a long-term capacity,' noting that countries like India no longer require its assistance. But critics argue that for every India, there are a dozen other nations where the program's sudden collapse is proof that a deep, sustainable capacity was never built. This dependency creates a fragile system that can, as just happened, collapse overnight, leaving countries unable to continue that work on their own. This unresolved tension brings the debate back to a central question from the UN's Chen. 'DHS has been there for four decades,' she asks, 'and why are we still having this program doing the survey for countries?' Chen's question gets to the heart of the debate. But grappling with the flaws of the past can't get in the way of surviving the present. Existing global health data is already several years out of date due to the pandemic, while crises in maternal mortality and child nutrition continue to unfold. The need is for reliable data now, because the fundamental reality remains: You can't help people you can't see.
