Emergency department visits for tick bites are on the rise across several regions of the US, signaling that America’s tick problem is getting worse.
ED tick-bite visits have reached their highest level nationwide in nearly a decade, with 71 visits per 100,000 people — more than double the average of about 30 per 100,000 for this time of year.
New data updated April 12 show the Northeast now has the highest rate per population – at 163 tick-related ED visits per 100,000 people, up from just 52 in March. That already outpaces recent full-year highs in the region, which ranged from 74 to 89 per 100,000 between 2021 and 2025.
When it comes to hospital visit rates – the Northeast also currently leads the nation with 25 emergency visits for tick bites per 100,000 hospital trips.
This is followed by the Midwest with 19 ED visits per 100,000 hospital trips; the Southeast has with 14 visits per 100,000 trips; the West is third with 13 visits per 100,000 trip; and South Central has five visits per 100,000 trips.
Ticks are tiny but dangerous. The blood-sucking arachnids cause 90 percent of all vector-borne diseases in the US, according to the CDC – and the list of diseases they carry is long.
It includes Lyme disease in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest; Rocky Mountain spotted fever everywhere; anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis in the East and South; Powassan virus in the Northeast and Great Lakes; and babesiosis in the Northeast and upper Midwest.
Most tick-borne diseases start with fever, chills, headache and fatigue — but untreated, they can be devastating.
ED tick-bite visits have reached their highest level nationwide in nearly a decade, with 71 visits per 100,000 people — more than double the average of about 30 per 100,000 for this time of year (stock)
Lyme triggers chronic arthritis and nerve pain; Rocky Mountain spotted fever causes brain damage and limb loss; anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis lead to kidney or respiratory failure; the incurable Powassan virus leaves half of survivors with permanent neurological damage; and babesiosis destroys red blood cells, causing organ failure or death.
There was a similar spike in ED visits due to tick bites last year, though not this early. That surge occurred in July, when tick-related hospital visits reached 127 per 100,000 ED visits — the highest July level since 2017.
‘We’re running well above historic average and even well above last year,’ Dr John J Halperin, a neuroscientist and chair of the New Jersey Stroke Care Advisory Panel, who focuses on Lyme disease, told ABC News.
‘The ticks have started a little earlier. There seems to be a lot of them. A lot of people are going to the emergency room.’
Ticks reside in grassy, brushy and wooded environments. Tick season typically begins in May.
Ticks spread disease by biting into the skin and feeding on blood.
As they feed, they pump saliva loaded with bacteria, viruses or parasites directly into the wound.
The longer a tick stays attached, the more infectious pathogens enter the body. Most ticks need 24 to 48 hours to transmit enough bacteria to cause illness, but dangerous viruses like Powassan can infect someone in just 15 minutes.
Ticks should be removed as soon as possible, which can be done by using tweezers to gently grasp the tick close to the skin.
Avoid squeezing the tick tightly during removal, as this may increase the risk of infection.
Around 31 million Americans experience a tick bite every year. Nearly 476,000 of them end up with Lyme disease.
It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted through the bite of an infected black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick.
Early symptoms often include a characteristic ‘bull’s-eye’ rash, fever, chills, headache and fatigue. Left untreated, Lyme can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system.
Zip code tends to determine the risk level for different tick-borne diseases and the highest rates of tick-related emergency room visits are seen in two groups: children ages 0 to 9 and adults ages 70 to 79.
Lyme disease remains the biggest threat in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, the same regions where tick populations are densest.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the nation’s most widespread tick-borne danger, is found everywhere from coastal California to rural Texas, with about 2,000 cases annually.
Anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis — two bacterial infections that cause fever, chills and plummeting blood cell counts — are most common in the East and South. There are between 5,000 and 6,000 cases of Anaplasmosis in the US daily, while ehrlichiosis infects around 2,000 Americans annually.
Ticks live in grass, brush and woods. Their season starts in May. The longer a tick stays attached, the higher your risk. Remove it immediately with tweezers, grasping close to the skin (stock)
The Powassan virus, a rare but dangerous brain-swelling illness that has infected roughly 20 to 50 people annually in recent years, lurks in ticks across the Northeast and Great Lakes region.
And babesiosis, a malaria-like parasite that destroys red blood cells, is primarily found in the Northeast and upper Midwest. It infects around 2,000 Americans annually.
The Northeast and upper Midwest get the worst of it, facing a triple threat of Lyme, Powassan and babesiosis all at once.
The global climate is warming and becoming more humid each year, expanding the geographic area where ticks can thrive.
People can prevent tick bites by using bug spray and covering up with long sleeves and pants, especially in grassy or wooded spots. It is also recommended to always do a full-body tick check after coming indoors.
Halperin added: ‘It’s not entirely clear how much of this is increased recognition, and as people become more aware of this, more are going to the emergency room. But there seems to be a clear increase in the number of ticks out there.’
