Latest news with #tickbites
CBS News
3 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Chicago area doctors expect more hospital visits from tick bites this summer
With all the rain lately in the Chicago area, hospital systems such as Northwestern Medicine reported an increase in patients getting sick from ticks. This comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the summer of 2025 is shaping up to be one of the worst tick seasons in years. Multiple doctors and experts say it is all due to climate change. CBS News Chicago reported on the warnings about ticks back in May and June. But now, it is becoming apparent that the increase in ticks and tick bites is corresponding to emergency room visits in Chicago and the rest of the Midwest. Rain and humidity are the perfect storm for pests like ticks to thrive. Dr. Alfredo Mena Lora of Saint Anthony Hospital said he, along with other doctors, anticipate seeing more patients this summer on account of ticks. "It's one of those things that we expect, especially as the warm months continue, and the exposure become more cumulative," sand Mena Lora. CDC data show in 2023, out of 100,000 emergency room visits in the Midwest, 51 patients were going in for tick bites. That number went up to 56 last year, and is now at 85 this year. The reasons behind it, doctors say, are environmental factors. "We are having milder winters, wetter springs, which means for longer tick breeding seasons. We're also seeing ticks move into geographic areas where we have not seen them before," said CBS News Medical Contributor Dr. Celine Gounder, "and all of this adds up to more tick exposure and more tick bites." Doctors say ticks transmit more viruses and diseases that any other member of the animal kingdom in the world — so this is a serious public health concern. People can get Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and a slew of other illnesses. "I think the main thing that patients and the public want to know is that if you've been bitten by a tick, it could carry a condition, and that condition is a typically a febrile condition," said Dr. Mena Lora, "so you may have fevers, you may have a rash, you may have joint pains." This year, 26 people in Cook County have already been diagnosed with Lyme disease. A total of 58 contracted the disease in Cook County last year. Dr. Mena Lora said while ticks can bite people in the city, they are more prevalent in the neighboring states of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, and in wooded areas. He reminded people to wear clothes that cover arms and legs, do a tick check, and take a shower upon arriving at home. Anyone who finds a tick should use tweezers to take it out. "If we protect ourselves and take all preventative measures, we can still enjoy our summer," said Dr. Mena Lora. CDC data show the Northwest is seeing vastly more emergency room visits for ticks than the Midwest. The Chicago Department of Public Health said while it has not seen an increase in Lyme disease cases, it does expect to see more emergency room visits this summer.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tick bites sending more people to ER than years past, CDC data shows
This summer is shaping up to be one of the worst tick seasons in recent years, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Emergency room visits related to tick bites have spiked in 2025, reaching their highest point in five years nationwide, according to the CDC's Tick Bite Data Tracker. The Northeast has been hit particularly hard, with tick bites accounting for 283 ER visits per 100,000 during the peak month of May, up from 209 around the same time in 2024. The CDC reported by July 6 that the number of emergency department visits for tick bites had already exceeded nearly 10 years of July records, with 92 visits per 100,000 reported across the nation. Children ages 0 to 9 and people over the age of 70 were the most common of these ER visitors. Vector-borne illness, or disease transmitted by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, has been on the rise in part due to climate change, said the CDC. With shorter and warmer winters becoming the norm, fewer disease-carrying ticks are dying off in the cold months, increasing the number that survive and can bite humans when the weather warms up. Other factors, including land use, pest control and access to healthcare, impact how many tick bites are reported and if related diseases are spread amongst the local human and pet population. Lyme disease is one of the most common tickborne illnesses, but the insects can carry several other diseases capable of infecting animals and humans. Humans may contract a variety of pathogens from ticks, according to the CDC, including: Anaplasmosis Babesiosis Bourbon virus Colorado tick fever Ehrlichiosis Hard tick relapsing fever Heartland virus Lyme disease Powassan virus Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis Rocky Mountain spotted fever Soft tick relapsing fever STARI Tularemia 364D rickettsiosis The CDC notes that many tickborne illnesses have similar symptoms, with some of the most common including: Fever/chills. All tickborne diseases can cause fever. Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headaches, fatigue and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain. Rash. Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes. The best cure for tick-borne illness is prevention, according to the CDC, which suggests the following to protect yourself from bites: Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin or buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear. Avoid contact with ticks. Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails. Use containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA's helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Check yourself: Ticks gravitate to the areas behind the knees, the groin, armpits, neck, hairline, between the toes, and behind the ears, so check those areas each day after you come inside. Contributing: Bailey Allen, USA TODAY Network; Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tick bites causing more ER visits in 2025 than years past: CDC
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tick bites are causing a spike in ER visits this year. An expert explains why.
Emergency room visits for tick bites this year are at the highest levels since 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rise is especially prevalent in the Northeast, where June figures show 229 tick bites per every 100,000 visits to ERs — up from 167 per 100,000 visits in June 2024. Tick bites can land someone in the hospital due to a number of tick-borne illnesses. Lyme disease, for example, can cause severe symptoms in people who were bitten by ticks carrying the borrelia bacteria. Different types of infected ticks can spread other bacteria, viruses and parasites that make people sick. For example, black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, can also spread babesiosis, anaplasmosis and Powassan virus disease. But why the spike in emergency room visits? A large driver is record-high tick populations in several states this year, Dr. Dennis Bente, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, told CBS News. "We are also seeing a longer tick season across the country, which historically has been a relatively predictable seasonal threat," Bente said. "While tick bites are more common in the summer because of increased outdoor activity, evidence shows that people must stay vigilant year-round now that ticks are also active in the winter because of warming driven by climate change." Health experts say people should be aware of the diseases ticks can carry, and follow prevention strategies to help protect themselves. "Most people don't realize that ticks transmit more viruses and diseases than any other animal in the world, so this rapid increase in population is a serious concern for public health," Bente added. He calls the bugs "sneaky opportunists," nothing they "hang out in bushes or on top of grasses and wait for pets or people to walk by." Experts recommend protecting yourself against ticks by wearing long-sleeved clothing and using insect repellant while outside and doing a tick check and taking a shower once back home. Bente calls tick checks the "most critical prevention measure," and suggests using mirrors to look in any warm areas where ticks might lurk, such as the groin, armpits, scalp, behind the ears and knees and waistband. Social media content creator shows his hustle Udemy Is Powering Enterprise AI Transformation Through Skills Hiker on how she survived face-to-face encounter with mountain lion
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
ER visits for tick bites near record levels this summer across US
Emergency rooms across the country are seeing a spike in tick bite cases, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July has already seen the highest number of tick-related ER visits since 2017, with the Northeast region reporting the most cases, the CDC said. Young children and elderly adults appear particularly vulnerable, with those under 10 and over 70 years old having the highest rates of emergency room visits, according to the CDC. For residents in the New York tristate area, the threat is particularly severe. The Fordham Tick Index, which monitors tick activity in southern New York, Connecticut and Northern New Jersey, currently rates the bite risk as "very high" – 9 out of 10 on its scale. The CDC reports that climate change may be contributing to the increasing numbers. In regions where Lyme disease is already present, milder winters result in fewer disease-carrying ticks dying during cold months, the agency notes. MORE: Male infertility: 5 lifestyle factors that could be hurting your fertility According to CDC data, May typically marks the annual peak for tick-bite emergencies. These rising numbers have prompted health officials to remind the public about the dangers posed by these tiny insects. The CDC warns that ticks can transmit various diseases through their bites, many of which share similar symptoms. Most people who visit emergency rooms report fever and chills, headaches, fatigue and muscle aches. Some patients also develop distinctive rashes, particularly those associated with Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. With outdoor activities in full swing this summer, the CDC has issued several recommendations to prevent illness. The agency advises avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter, and staying in the center of trails when hiking. It also recommends using Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, or other approved ingredients. The CDC recommends treating outdoor clothing and gear with permethrin, which remains effective even after multiple washes. Those planning to use both sunscreen and insect repellent should apply sunscreen first, followed by the repellent. Health officials are also emphasizing that no area is immune to tick activity.
Wall Street Journal
05-07-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Ticks Are Really Bad This Summer. What to Do About Them
Ticks! They're summer's most unwelcome guests and are lurking everywhere: on golf courses and hiking trails, in backyard gardens and even in city parks. And this year appears to be especially bad: Emergency-department visits for tick bites are the highest since 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tick-bite data tracker.
