ER Visits for Tick Bites Highest in Over a Decade. How to Protect Yourself

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that a rise in tick bites is causing higher-than-usual emergency room (ER) visits. Tick bites can lead to Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can be difficult to diagnose and treat. Climate change may be partially responsible for the higher tick populations in many regions of the United States.

Growing tick populations across the United States are leading to more tick bites. As of April, the Northeast saw the largest increase in tick-related ER visits. These rates are far higher than in other parts of the United States. The Midwest is the second-most-affected region. Tick bites can cause Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can be difficult to diagnose and treat. “This trend is consistent with a broader pattern of increasing tick-borne disease burden in the United States,” said Robert Glatter , MD, attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital and assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell. “An estimated 400,000–470,000 cases of Lyme disease are now diagnosed annually in the U.S., and this number has been rising over the past two decades. Higher ER visits for tick bites likely reflect both a true increase in tick encounters and growing public awareness of tick-borne illness,” Glatter told Healthline. Around 31 million people in the United States are bitten by a tick each year. According to the CDC’s Tick Bite Tracker , visits to the emergency room in many parts of the country are currently higher than usual. All regions, except the South Central areas, reported the highest weekly number of tick bite ER visits since 2017. “Emergency departments in endemic areas should be prepared for a corresponding rise in patients presenting with early Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections during peak season (May through August),” said Glatter.

Key points

• Growing tick populations across the United States are leading to more tick bites.
• As of April, the Northeast saw the largest increase in tick-related ER visits.
• These rates are far higher than in other parts of the United States.
• The Midwest is the second-most-affected region.
• Tick bites can cause Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can be difficult to diagnose and treat.