Tick bites are sending Americans to the emergency room at the highest rate in nearly a decade, according to new CDC data.
During the second week of April, 71 out of every 100,000 emergency room visits were for tick bites — more than double the usual average of about 30 per 100,000, said the agency, which said this year’s numbers match data from 2017.
Right now, the Northeast is seeing the biggest spike, followed by the Midwest, Southeast, West and South Central regions, according to CDC data.
- For every 100,000 ER visits in the Northeast, 163 were for tick-related complaints, up from 52 in March, according to the most current data, updated on April 12.
- For every 100,000 ER visits in New Jersey, 13 were for tick-related complaints.
- For every 100,000 ER visits in New York, a whopping 80 were for tick-related complaints.
“We’re running well above historic average and even well above last year,” Dr. John J. Halperin, chair of the New Jersey Stroke Care Advisory Panel and member of the department of neuroscience at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center in New Jersey, told ABC News.
The New York State Parks Department is already warning people to be mindful of ticks as they get outdoors in the warm weather.
And it’s not just the bites, it’s what comes with them.
The blood-sucking bugs carry more than a dozen diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and babesiosis, the CDC said.
They can transmit bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause serious illness. Some can even trigger dangerous allergic reactions like deadly Alpha-gal syndrome.
Another alarming condition linked to tick bites is meningoencephalitis, a rare but potentially deadly inflammation of the brain and its lining.
Symptoms can escalate quickly: fever, headache, stiff neck, light sensitivity, confusion, seizures and even coma. Left untreated, it can lead to permanent brain damage or death.
The good news is there are ways to protect yourself — and your pets.
The CDC recommends avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter, and sticking to the center of trails when hiking.
Use Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents containing at least 20% DEET, 20% picaridin as the listed active ingredient or other approved ingredients, but avoid using them on children under age three.
If headed outdoors, cover up with long sleeves, pants and socks. Afterwards, do a full-body tick check and don’t skip hidden spots like the armpits, groin, under the breasts, between the buttocks, between the toes, inside the belly button and along the back.
If you find a tick, remove it immediately with tweezers.
Clean the area, take a picture of the tick to help identify it and the diseases it may carry, and watch for warning signs like rash, fever, chills, fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
Pet owners should be just as vigilant.
The CDC recommends checking animals that go outside everyday during warm weather — especially around the ears, eyelids and tail, under the collar, under the front legs and between the toes.
Ticks on pets can be removed with tweezers in the same way as on humans.
Signs of tick-borne disease in pets include sudden lameness (often shifting legs), joint pain, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes and pale gums — symptoms that necessitate an emergency vet visit.
