Northeast tick season approaching record highs in ER visits for early May
Tickborne disease alarm bells are sounding at emergency rooms in New York and across the Northeast as May got off to a record-shattering start for tick-bite visits.
Newly reported ER data suggested May 2025 was already approaching past record-highs in terms of patients showing up with tick bites during that month. Put differently, the first week of May this year had so many tick bites that it triggered early warnings from those tracking tickborne-illnesses, including Lyme disease.
Dr. Richard Ostfeld, a top scientist behind The Tick Project at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, described the early-May spike as very concerning, noting his institute's research has shown ticks are emerging earlier in the spring as the climate warms.
Other factors involved in a really bad tick season include everything from bumper acorn crops that feed mice to supersized deer populations thriving in the warmer temperatures — both of which ensure the tiny parasitic ticks have plenty of hosts to feed on before latching onto and biting humans.
"This early emergence is now so striking that we've argued that health agencies should consider making April, rather than May, Lyme Awareness month, to allow at-risk populations to prepare," he said. Tick-bite risks are highest for people with underlying health conditions, as well as those who spend a lot of time outdoors for leisure or work.
Among the findings of a USA TODAY Network analysis of public health data for the 2025 tick season:
ER tick bite reporting in the Northeast hit 264 visits for tick bites per 100,000 ER visits in May during the first seven days of the month, the most recent data show.
That single week of tick bites was already the fourth-highest total for an entire month of May during the past nine years. There are three weeks left for tick bites to send scores of more patients to ERs this May and shatter records.
The prior record-high for a May came in 2017, with 332 visits for tick bites per 100,000 ER visits. The average for the month of May was 245 visits, which was already surpassed during the first seven days of the current May.
Stay safe: Bit by a tick? What you should know about tick testing and tick removal
While considering tick-testing, your first priority should be removing the parasite safely. Among the best practices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouthparts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: How bad has the first week of tick season been in NY? Pretty bad
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