4 days ago
Chicago area doctors expect more hospital visits from tick bites this summer
With all the rain lately in the Chicago area, hospital systems such as Northwestern Medicine reported an increase in patients getting sick from ticks.
This comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the summer of 2025 is shaping up to be one of the worst tick seasons in years. Multiple doctors and experts say it is all due to climate change.
CBS News Chicago reported on the warnings about ticks back in May and June. But now, it is becoming apparent that the increase in ticks and tick bites is corresponding to emergency room visits in Chicago and the rest of the Midwest.
Rain and humidity are the perfect storm for pests like ticks to thrive. Dr. Alfredo Mena Lora of Saint Anthony Hospital said he, along with other doctors, anticipate seeing more patients this summer on account of ticks.
"It's one of those things that we expect, especially as the warm months continue, and the exposure become more cumulative," sand Mena Lora.
CDC data show in 2023, out of 100,000 emergency room visits in the Midwest, 51 patients were going in for tick bites. That number went up to 56 last year, and is now at 85 this year.
The reasons behind it, doctors say, are environmental factors.
"We are having milder winters, wetter springs, which means for longer tick breeding seasons. We're also seeing ticks move into geographic areas where we have not seen them before," said CBS News Medical Contributor Dr. Celine Gounder, "and all of this adds up to more tick exposure and more tick bites."
Doctors say ticks transmit more viruses and diseases that any other member of the animal kingdom in the world — so this is a serious public health concern. People can get Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and a slew of other illnesses.
"I think the main thing that patients and the public want to know is that if you've been bitten by a tick, it could carry a condition, and that condition is a typically a febrile condition," said Dr. Mena Lora, "so you may have fevers, you may have a rash, you may have joint pains."
This year, 26 people in Cook County have already been diagnosed with Lyme disease. A total of 58 contracted the disease in Cook County last year.
Dr. Mena Lora said while ticks can bite people in the city, they are more prevalent in the neighboring states of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, and in wooded areas.
He reminded people to wear clothes that cover arms and legs, do a tick check, and take a shower upon arriving at home. Anyone who finds a tick should use tweezers to take it out.
"If we protect ourselves and take all preventative measures, we can still enjoy our summer," said Dr. Mena Lora.
CDC data show the Northwest is seeing vastly more emergency room visits for ticks than the Midwest.
The Chicago Department of Public Health said while it has not seen an increase in Lyme disease cases, it does expect to see more emergency room visits this summer.
