The Midwest Is Seeing A Surge In Tick Bite Visits To Emergency Rooms

MICHIGAN — Emergency rooms across the country are seeing a spike in visits for treatment of tick bites and tick-borne illnesses, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Since the beginning of the year, 618 emergency rooms in the Midwest were for tick bites. That compares with 676 emergency room visits for tick bites in all of 2024

Ticks can bite at any time of the year, even in cold climates, but they’re most active in the warm spring and summer months through early fall, according to the CDC.

Emergency trips for tick bites spiked across the Midwest in May with 197 visits, according to CDC data. Since then, CDC data shows the number has been trending downward with 183 emergency trips in June and 132 in July, so far.

States in the Midwest include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Nationally from Jan. 1 to July 6 of this year, 447 ER visits per 100,000 have been for tick bites, according to the CDC’s tick bite data tracker. That compares to 509 per 100,000 visits in all of 2024. According to the data, 116 per 100,000 emergency room visits in June were for tick bites. U.S. emergency rooms haven’t seen this level of tick-related visits during June since 2019. The highest rates of ER visits are among young children under 10 and older adults over 70, the CDC said.

The majority, 302, of emergency room trips for tick bites across the Midwest have been children under the age of 9, according to the CDC. The next highest group is seniors aged between 70-79, with 248 emergency room trips for tick bites.

Why Are Tick Bite Cases Surging?

Tick populations have reached a record high in several states this year due to a combination of factors, including climate change, Dr. Dennis Bente, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, told CBS News. That has extended the tick season beyond the traditional summer months, he 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,” Bente said.

Tick-Borne Illnesses Have Similar Symptoms

Many of the diseases ticks spread through their bites have similar symptoms, including fever and chills, headaches, fatigue and muscle aches. Patients with two of the most serious diseases, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, also develop distinctive rashes.

Ticks also spread Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Tularemia and Powassan virus.

Health officials are also increasingly concerned about the spread of the aggressive lone star tick, which is linked to a mysterious meat allergy and whose larvae travel in what are colloquially called “tick bombs.” The tick is identifiable by the white starlike splotch on the backs of adult females, and the larvae hunt in packs — hence, the tick bomb moniker.

Scientists are unsure why some people bitten by the tick develop a potentially life-threatening allergy to the red meat protein alpha-gal and others don’t, or if the allergies were triggered by something other than the tick bite. AGS, as the allergy is known, can be difficult to diagnose. Unlike other allergies, the symptoms may not appear for several hours after eating red meat. Some people develop an allergy to other products from mammals, including dairy products, and some may develop an allergy to certain medications. There is no known cure or treatment.

What You Should Do

If a tick bites you, the CDC recommends promptly removing it with fine-tipped tweezers, cleaning the bite area, and monitoring for symptoms like fever, rash, or flu-like symptoms for 30 days. If symptoms develop, see a doctor.

The best thing is to protect yourself against tick bites. Ticks live in grassy, bushy or wooded areas. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks, and many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood, according to the CDC.

The CDC recommends treating clothing and gear with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin before venturing into those areas. Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents are also a good idea. The EPA has a search tool that can help you find the product that best suits your needs.