Tick Bites Prompt Hundreds Of NJ ER Visits In 2024. Could It Get Worse?

NEW JERSEY — Hundreds of people have visited New Jersey emergency rooms for tick bites in 2024. Could this summer could be worse than others when it comes to avoiding the blood-sucking pests?

Each year, warmer weather brings out insects like ticks and mosquitoes capable of spreading potentially severe diseases including Lyme disease and West Nile virus. The diseases are spread when infected mosquitoes and ticks bite someone.

Lyme disease can cause a variety of symptoms and can be severe if left untreated. Usually, ticks must be attached for more than 24 hours to transmit Lyme disease, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. Symptoms can include a rash resembling a bullseye, tiredness, fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle aches and joint pain.

If left untreated, infected individuals may develop arthritis and problems with the nervous system and heart.

So far this year, nearly 700 people have visited New Jersey emergency rooms for tick bites, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Health. That number is likely to grow since summer is typically the season ticks and mosquitoes are most active.

Last year, 1,709 people went to the emergency room following a tick bite. Could this year be worse? Possibly, some say.

In an interview with New Jersey 101.5, Bite Back Tick & Mosquito Control owner Laurie White said last year's mild winter may have resulted in more ticks this summer. While it's impossible to get an accurate count, White said more ticks may have survived to see the warmer months.

"We are seeing quite a bit more than average," White told NJ 101.5.

In a May interview with NJ Advance Media, Dr. Edward Lifshitz, medical director of the state health department’s Infectious and Zoonotic Disease Program, said a warm winter and warmer April don't guarantee the tick population will spike.

“Deer ticks have a two-year life cycle, so current-season weather isn’t likely to result in an increase in tick populations active now, but a warm winter and spring may extend the period during which ticks are active,” he said.

Lifshitz continued, "Although ticks are active at a range of temperatures, they are more active on warm days in the spring. However, the number of ticks is dependent on many variables, including temperature, humidity, and the presence of wild animals that they commonly feed on."

Other common tick-borne diseases found in New Jersey are Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Powassan and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Learn more about tickborne diseases on the New Jersey Department of Health's website.

To help prevent disease, people should avoid wooded areas with dense shrubs and leaf litter, wear protective clothing, use EPA-registered insect repellents, perform tick checks, and keep lawns and shrubs trimmed.