Latest news with #tickseason
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
Washington Post
28-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
How to protect yourself from ticks year-round
WASHINGTON — Ticks can be active in any season and it's important to check for and remove the bloodsuckers as quickly as possible — especially after you've been outside hiking, gardening or enjoying nature. 'Humans are outside more in summer so we hear about more tick infections ,' said Sam Telford, an infectious diseases expert at Tufts University. But he urges caution year-round because 'every season is tick season.'
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Tick bites are nearly double already this year. Will this summer be the worst yet?
Peak tick season is approaching across the U.S and researchers are expecting this summer to be particularly brutal. But, is it the worst ever? University of Rhode Island entomologist Dr. Thomas 'The TickGuy' Mathers told The Independent that it's too early to call it but the numbers are looking worrying — he's received more submissions of nymphal blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease, to the university's TickSpotters platform so far this month than the weekly average for the same period over the last decade. 'I don't know the answer just yet, if it's a trend going up – but I suspect it is, just based on the number of nymphal blacklegged ticks I've seen in the past couple of weeks,' he explained. Mathers noted that federal data shows emergency room visits related to ticks are up this year, with visits nearly doubling from 70 in April, to 131 in May. Other researchers who also count ticks are noticing a significant jump in specimens. Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, a professor at New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University who runs the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory, has warned that more ticks are being sent to the lab than at the same time last year, marking a 217 percent increase. 'Based on the trend in tick submission I have observed thus far, I expect a tick season that is worse than the previous years,' he cautioned. But, Rutgers University professor and entomologist Dina Fonseca is not ready to make that call quite yet. She's a part of the submission project called New Jersey Ticks 4 Science! She said people say it's the worst year for ticks every year, noting there's no standardized tick surveillance. They're seeing more submissions, as well, but they don't know if it's just because more people are reporting them. 'Frankly, we don't have enough data over time to be able to say, 'Is it a worse year than normal or a better year than normal?' We don't know,' explained Fonseca. What threats do US ticks pose? Whatever the case may be, the heightened activity between June and July leaves Americans exposed to 90 species of ticks and the diseases they can carry. Although ticks are on both coasts, they're largely found in the eastern U.S. Some, like brown dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, are located more widely. Not being prepared for ticks while doing outside activities and camping could carry a death sentence — although that's an extremely rare outcome. People bitten by ticks may be exposed to Powassan virus, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Lyme disease, and other pathogens that can cause human disease. People can be affected by multiple diseases at once. The nymphal blacklegged ticks are the ones Fonseca says people really need to worry about, as they can be infected with four different disease agents. That includes Lyme disease, which may lead to facial paralysis and irregular heartbeat if untreated. Although larger than larval ticks, nymphal ticks are only the size of a poppy seed. They may be hard to spot – even for people who are aware of their region's ticks and where they live. 'Look at the bowtie of Lincoln on a penny; that's the size of a nymphal blacklegged tick, Fonseca said. Exposure and prevention While it's easy to miss ticks, it can take about two days for any transmission to occur after a bite. People who find ticks on their skin should remove them with tweezers as soon as possible. Those who develop a rash or fever after removal should consult a doctor. As far as prevention goes, knowledge is power. Reducing exposure is the best way to avoid negative health outcomes. Mather advises that people follow what he calls the 'three Ts.' Wear tight clothing, tuck in shirts and pants legs, and wear clothes treated with 0.5 percent permethrin repellent. 'If you don't apply repellent, they can be ruthless,' Fonseca said, recalling a time when she picked 30-to-40 ticks out of her hair. Mathers remembers a trip to Fire Island that resulted in the exposure to 'literally hundreds' of fast-crawling ticks. Unfortunately, with a changing climate comes additional chances to pick up the blood-sucking hitchhikers. With a warmer atmosphere comes a wetter world, and parasites thrive in those conditions, and ticks have been observed moving north. Southern aridity is their enemy. 'One of the easiest ways to kill a tick is to dry the heck out of them,' said Fonseca.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Is this tick season going to be America's worst yet? Here's what to know
Peak tick season is approaching across the U.S and researchers are expecting this summer to be particularly brutal. But, is it the worst ever? University of Rhode Island entomologist Dr. Thomas 'The TickGuy' Mathers told The Independent that it's too early to call it but the numbers are looking worrying — he's received more submissions of nymphal blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease, to the university's TickSpotters platform so far this month than the weekly average for the same period over the last decade. 'I don't know the answer just yet, if it's a trend going up – but I suspect it is, just based on the number of nymphal blacklegged ticks I've seen in the past couple of weeks,' he explained. Mathers noted that federal data shows emergency room visits related to ticks are up this year, with visits nearly doubling from 70 in April, to 131 in May. Other researchers who also count ticks are noticing a significant jump in specimens. Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, a professor at New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University who runs the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory, has warned that more ticks are being sent to the lab than at the same time last year, marking a 217 percent increase. 'Based on the trend in tick submission I have observed thus far, I expect a tick season that is worse than the previous years,' he cautioned. But, Rutgers University professor and entomologist Dina Fonseca is not ready to make that call quite yet. She's a part of the submission project called New Jersey Ticks 4 Science! She said people say it's the worst year for ticks every year, noting there's no standardized tick surveillance. They're seeing more submissions, as well, but they don't know if it's just because more people are reporting them. 'Frankly, we don't have enough data over time to be able to say, 'Is it a worse year than normal or a better year than normal?' We don't know,' explained Fonseca. Whatever the case may be, the heightened activity between June and July leaves Americans exposed to 90 species of ticks and the diseases they can carry. Although ticks are on both coasts, they're largely found in the eastern U.S. Some, like brown dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, are located more widely. Not being prepared for ticks while doing outside activities and camping could carry a death sentence — although that's an extremely rare outcome. People bitten by ticks may be exposed to Powassan virus, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Lyme disease, and other pathogens that can cause human disease. People can be affected by multiple diseases at once. The nymphal blacklegged ticks are the ones Fonseca says people really need to worry about, as they can be infected with four different disease agents. That includes Lyme disease, which may lead to facial paralysis and irregular heartbeat if untreated. Although larger than larval ticks, nymphal ticks are only the size of a poppy seed. They may be hard to spot – even for people who are aware of their region's ticks and where they live. 'Look at the bowtie of Lincoln on a penny; that's the size of a nymphal blacklegged tick, Fonseca said. While it's easy to miss ticks, it can take about two days for any transmission to occur after a bite. People who find ticks on their skin should remove them with tweezers as soon as possible. Those who develop a rash or fever after removal should consult a doctor. As far as prevention goes, knowledge is power. Reducing exposure is the best way to avoid negative health outcomes. Mather advises that people follow what he calls the 'three Ts.' Wear tight clothing, tuck in shirts and pants legs, and wear clothes treated with 0.5 percent permethrin repellent. 'If you don't apply repellent, they can be ruthless,' Fonseca said, recalling a time when she picked 30-to-40 ticks out of her hair. Mathers remembers a trip to Fire Island that resulted in the exposure to 'literally hundreds' of fast-crawling ticks. Unfortunately, with a changing climate comes additional chances to pick up the blood-sucking hitchhikers. With a warmer atmosphere comes a wetter world, and parasites thrive in those conditions, and ticks have been observed moving north. Southern aridity is their enemy. 'One of the easiest ways to kill a tick is to dry the heck out of them,' said Fonseca.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Is this tick season going to be America's worst yet? Here's what to know
Peak tick season is approaching across the U.S and researchers are expecting this summer to be particularly brutal. But, is it the worst ever? University of Rhode Island entomologist Dr. Thomas 'The TickGuy' Mathers told The Independent that it's too early to call it but the numbers are looking worrying — he's received more submissions of nymphal blacklegged ticks, which carry Lyme disease, to the university's TickSpotters platform so far this month than the weekly average for the same period over the last decade. 'I don't know the answer just yet, if it's a trend going up – but I suspect it is, just based on the number of nymphal blacklegged ticks I've seen in the past couple of weeks,' he explained. Mathers noted that federal data shows emergency room visits related to ticks are up this year, with visits nearly doubling from 70 in April, to 131 in May. Other researchers who also count ticks are noticing a significant jump in specimens. Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, a professor at New York's SUNY Upstate Medical University who runs the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory, has warned that more ticks are being sent to the lab than at the same time last year, marking a 217 percent increase. 'Based on the trend in tick submission I have observed thus far, I expect a tick season that is worse than the previous years,' he cautioned. But, Rutgers University professor and entomologist Dina Fonseca is not ready to make that call quite yet. She's a part of the submission project called New Jersey Ticks 4 Science! She said people say it's the worst year for ticks every year, noting there's no standardized tick surveillance. They're seeing more submissions, as well, but they don't know if it's just because more people are reporting them. 'Frankly, we don't have enough data over time to be able to say, 'Is it a worse year than normal or a better year than normal?' We don't know,' explained Fonseca. Whatever the case may be, the heightened activity between June and July leaves Americans exposed to 90 species of ticks and the diseases they can carry. Although ticks are on both coasts, they're largely found in the eastern U.S. Some, like brown dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, are located more widely. Not being prepared for ticks while doing outside activities and camping could carry a death sentence — although that's an extremely rare outcome. People bitten by ticks may be exposed to Powassan virus, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Lyme disease, and other pathogens that can cause human disease. People can be affected by multiple diseases at once. The nymphal blacklegged ticks are the ones Fonseca says people really need to worry about, as they can be infected with four different disease agents. That includes Lyme disease, which may lead to facial paralysis and irregular heartbeat if untreated. Although larger than larval ticks, nymphal ticks are only the size of a poppy seed. They may be hard to spot – even for people who are aware of their region's ticks and where they live. 'Look at the bowtie of Lincoln on a penny; that's the size of a nymphal blacklegged tick, Fonseca said. While it's easy to miss ticks, it can take about two days for any transmission to occur after a bite. People who find ticks on their skin should remove them with tweezers as soon as possible. Those who develop a rash or fever after removal should consult a doctor. As far as prevention goes, knowledge is power. Reducing exposure is the best way to avoid negative health outcomes. Mather advises that people follow what he calls the 'three Ts.' Wear tight clothing, tuck in shirts and pants legs, and wear clothes treated with 0.5 percent permethrin repellent. 'If you don't apply repellent, they can be ruthless,' Fonseca said, recalling a time when she picked 30-to-40 ticks out of her hair. Mathers remembers a trip to Fire Island that resulted in the exposure to 'literally hundreds' of fast-crawling ticks. Unfortunately, with a changing climate comes additional chances to pick up the blood-sucking hitchhikers. With a warmer atmosphere comes a wetter world, and parasites thrive in those conditions, and ticks have been observed moving north. Southern aridity is their enemy. 'One of the easiest ways to kill a tick is to dry the heck out of them,' said Fonseca.
