Latest news with #tickbites
CNN
6 days ago
- Health
- CNN
A warmer, humid world where ticks thrive is increasing spread of Lyme and other diseases
People in entertainmentFacebookTweetLink Follow This year, people are seeking emergency care for tick bites in the highest level since 2017, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and reported cases of Lyme disease have continued to rise through the years. Experts say the increases are driven by warmer temperatures due to climate change and the expanding presence of ticks in more areas in the US and Canada — including places where people are less familiar with the risks and how to prevent disease. 'When we first started doing this [in the mid-1980s], there were very few cases of Lyme disease reported in Canada. Lyme disease is pretty well established in Canada at this point,' said Dr. Thomas Daniels, the director of the Louis Calder Center, Fordham University's biological field station. Lyme disease-carrying deer ticks are mostly active when temperatures are above 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and they thrive in areas with at least 85% humidity, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. 'It likes to be in humid areas, not wet areas, but humid areas,' said Daniels. 'If you sample on a lawn that gets baked in the sun all day, you're not going to find ticks. You go 20 feet into the woods where it's shady and the temperature's generally lower and there's more ground cover, you will find ticks.' The threat from ticks and mosquitoes, which drive transmission of diseases such as West Nile, dengue and malaria, is already increasing. 'Because of increases in temperature that we've already seen, because of human impacts on the climate, the temperature is already getting more suitable for transmission of disease here in the United States and North America,' Dr. Erin Mordecai, an associate professor of biology at Stanford University, said at a news briefing on Monday. And while climate change is contributing to the expansion of tick habitats, it's not the sole driver. Human changes to landscapes also shape where ticks are found. 'It's never just one factor, right?' Dr. Jean Tsao, a professor at Michigan State University who studies disease ecology, said at a news briefing. 'In the continental US, most of the changes in the range is probably due to land use change affecting wildlife communities. Also management of wildlife populations, such as the white-tailed deer. That plays a major role for many of these ticks.' Deer ticks, also known as black-legged ticks, are the primacy ticks that carry Lyme disease. During the nymph stage, when they are most active, the ticks are about the size of a poppy seed and are easy to miss. As they feed on blood, they can transmit pathogens, including the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease. This transmission occurs through the tick's saliva, which enters the host's bloodstream during feeding. Brian Fallon, director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University, told CNN on Friday that infection can cause a range of multisystem symptoms. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria can go to various parts of the body including the heart, central nervous system, the brain or peripheral nerves. The onset of Lyme disease may also present in different ways. 'Most people think of the Lyme rash as a bull's-eye target rash. In fact, that's not the most common presentation,' said Fallon. 'The most common presentation is more of a pinkish, reddish rash. But the main thing is that it expands in size from a small rash to five centimeters or larger.' Fallon notes that some people may also see more than one rash on different parts of their body. As the disease develops without treatment, more serious symptoms may emerge. Symptoms may last for months or even years, said Fallon. 'It's recognized mainly by the rash early on, if you're lucky enough to see it, and then later, by symptoms such as the neurologic symptoms that may manifest as a facial palsy or a meningitis causing severe headaches with stiff neck or shooting pains or severe stabbing pains,' Fallon said. There may be cardiac symptoms such as palpitations or slow rhythms; muscle pain and fatigue. 'It can be profoundly debilitating,' he said. Daniels says that although there are measures that can be taken to decrease the likelihood of a tick bite, prevention methods are not foolproof. The most important protection against Lyme disease is tick removal as soon as possible, he said. 'The key is to get the tick off you as quickly as possible. None of these [tick-borne] pathogens are transmitted very quickly, except for Powassan virus, which can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes. But the infection rate for [humans] is very, very low,' said Daniels. 'For Lyme disease, you've got a 24 to 48 hour window of opportunity there to get the tick off, because it takes some time for the tick to gear up through its feeding to actually transmit the bacteria.' Daniels advises people to wear more clothes in the summertime. 'The longer we can keep the tick on the outside of our bodies and not on our skin, the less likely it is to find a place to attach.' Clothes can also be treated with permethrin, an insecticide that repels ticks. When hiking, Fallon advises people to stay on the trail, as ticks roam in leafy areas and wood piles. Daniels advises people to conduct a 'tick check' for themselves and each other if they're in an area with ticks. 'It's helpful because the ticks may go behind your knee, or they may go and bite you in the back, and you can't see your back or reach your back. Take a shower at the end of the day, because that may help to wash off some ticks that haven't fully attached yet,' he said. If a tick is attached for a prolonged period of time, Fallon says that it would gradually 'blow as big as a raisin' from continuously sucking blood. If you do find a tick, experts advise people to use tweezers to take out the tick from underneath its body. 'Don't try to burn it off with a cigarette. Don't try to put anything toxic on it. Remove it with a tweezer,' he said.
Health Line
31-07-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Why Tick Season Is So Bad This Year and What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Health officials report an increasing number of tick bites across the United States as the regions where the insects typically breed have expanded. Experts cite climate change as a major factor in the rise and spread of tick populations and the diseases they carry. Infected ticks can transmit Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other illnesses by biting humans. You can reduce your risk of tick bites by wearing clothes that cover your arms and legs and checking yourself and your pets for ticks after outdoor activities. Ticks are being found in more places in the United States, which means the risk of Lyme disease and other tick-related illnesses is also on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the highest rate of tick bites in more than five years. According to the CDC, there were 74 tick bites per 100,000 emergency room visits in the United States in July, the highest rate for this month since 2017. That rate reached a high of 134 tick bites per 100,000 emergency room visits in May, the highest for that month since 2019. Tick bites are especially prevalent in the Northeast region of the country. The CDC has recorded 127 such bites per 100,000 emergency room visits in that region so far this year. That area hit a high of 283 bites per 100,000 visits in May. The next most prone area is the Midwest, with 85 bites per 100,000 emergency visits. The Southeast sector has a rate of 35 bites per 100,000 visits, while the West has 16 bites per 100,000 and the South-Central area has 10 bites per 100,000. 'Over the past 20 years, tick habitats have been expanding gradually in the United States, William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease expert and professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, told Healthline. 'Since tick bites can spread certain infectious diseases, the geographic areas impacted by these infections has expanded along with the ticks.' 'Doctors have had to become more aware of these tick-transmitted infections and the general public needs to become mindful of how to prevent tick bites when they go out into nature,' he added. Why are ticks becoming more common? Durland Fish, PhD, the chief executive officer of the American Lyme Disease Foundation, said that the deer tick, which transmits Lyme Disease, has expanded its range to 16 northern states during the past 50 years. Fish, who is also a professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health in Connecticut, said the expansion of this particular tick is due to the reintroduction of the deer into regenerated forest regions. 'The deer tick is completely dependent upon white-tailed deer for reproduction. No deer, no deer ticks. No ticks, no tick-borne diseases,' he told Healthline. Fish noted that the lone star tick, which carries ehrlichiosis, has been increasing its range northward over the past several decades. He said land use is the primary reason. 'Suburbanization has resulted in more human contact with ticks as people moved into suburban forested areas and deer hunting was restricted for safety,' he explained. Fish added that the range of the dog tick vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever has been relatively stable. Still, experts say climate change is a major factor in the increase and spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases. Amanda Roome, an associate director of the Tick-borne Disease Center and former graduate student at Binghamton University in New York, said in a report published by the university that warmer temperatures caused by climate change are allowing ticks to thrive. Schaffner agreed. 'The expanded tick territory has resulted from climate changes, which has made some previously cooler areas now warmer, creating a more congenial habitat in which ticks can thrive,' he said. 'Also, winters have been shorter and less severe, giving ticks the opportunity to be active longer.' What diseases are transmitted by ticks? Different types of ticks live in different regions. According to the CDC, while there are many different tick species found around the world, only a handful bite and transmit bacteria, viruses, and parasites (pathogens) that cause diseases in humans. The CDC notes that a specific tick species found in a U.S. region does not always mean it will transmit a specific disease in that area. Multiple factors affect the transmission of tick-borne disease and illness. Two of the most common tick-borne diseases are Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. 'Lyme infection can produce a variety of symptoms, most prominently chronic joint pains,' said Schaffner. 'Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute illness with high fever and a rash. Both these infections can be treated with antibiotics and supportive care when diagnosed promptly.' What to know about Lyme disease The CDC estimates that about 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year in the United States. Lyme disease was first recognized in 1975 in the town of Old Lyme, Connecticut. It's an infectious disease caused by bacteria carried by black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks. The ticks contract the bacteria after feeding on infected animals such as deer, mice, and birds. They transmit the bacteria to people by biting them. Lyme disease can develop in humans in as early as one day to as long as several years. One of the earliest – and most common – symptom of Lyme disease is a bull's-eye rash, also known as an erythema migrans. Other early symptoms include: chills fever enlarged lymph nodes sore throat vision changes fatigue muscle aches or headache Symptoms for later-stage Lyme disease can range from abnormal heart rhythm to numbness to meningitis. Treatment for early localized Lyme disease is a 10-to-14-day course of oral antibiotics. Medications used to treat the disease include: doxycycline amoxicillin cefuroxime Later-stage Lyme disease can affect the circulatory or central nervous systems and even cause joint damage in its most serious forms, and may require up to 28 days of treatment with antibiotics. There is current research and clinical trials looking into the possibility of a vaccine to help prevent Lyme disease. How to prevent tick bites There are a number of simple, practical ways to help reduce your risk of getting bitten by a tick. Roome has a varied list of suggestions. Among them: Cover up: Wear long-sleeved pants and shirts. Check yourself: Be sure to examine your clothing and skin for ticks after a walk in the woods or any other natural space. Lighten up: It's easier to spot ticks on lighter-colored clothes than darker-colored clothes. Spray your clothes: Apply the synthetic insecticide permethrin to the outside of your clothes. Use DEET: Studies are inconclusive, but Roome said it can't hurt to use DEET – even if it just protects you from mosquitoes. Stay on designated paths: Ticks are mostly found in bushes, branches, and undergrowth, so hike in the middle of a path. Check your pets: A tick can 'ride home' with a dog or other animal, so check your pets for ticks in the field and at home. Roll them off: Use a lint roller (the kind with sticky paper) on yourself and your pets. The ticks will stick to the roller instead of you. Dry your clothes: Ticks can actually survive the washing machine, but they can't live through a cycle in the dryer. Fish, however, believes the most effective prevention method starts with the deer population. 'Prevention efforts should target deer,' he said. 'There is research underway to treat deer that will kill ticks with an oral bait, but it is grossly underfunded in favor of human vaccines promoted by the pharmaceutical industry.' Schaffer notes you don't have to be in the great outdoors to get bitten by a tick. 'You do not have to hike in the woods to acquire ticks,' he said. 'You can encounter ticks in your backyard if you are clearing underbrush, which is how I acquired a couple of ticks a few years ago, so take precautions even close to home.' 'One study showed that golfers who chased their errant shots into brushy areas were more likely to pick up ticks along with their golf balls,' he added. He also urged caution when removing a tick from your skin. 'If you find an attached tick, carefully remove it,' he said. 'The best way is to use a tissue, grasp the tick firmly as close to the skin as possible and then gently pull it out. Do not pull with a sudden jerk as that may leave the tick's head embedded in your skin.'
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
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.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tick bites sending more people to ER than years past, CDC data shows
This summer is shaping up to be one of the worst tick seasons in recent years, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Emergency room visits related to tick bites have spiked in 2025, reaching their highest point in five years nationwide, according to the CDC's Tick Bite Data Tracker. The Northeast has been hit particularly hard, with tick bites accounting for 283 ER visits per 100,000 during the peak month of May, up from 209 around the same time in 2024. The CDC reported by July 6 that the number of emergency department visits for tick bites had already exceeded nearly 10 years of July records, with 92 visits per 100,000 reported across the nation. Children ages 0 to 9 and people over the age of 70 were the most common of these ER visitors. Vector-borne illness, or disease transmitted by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, has been on the rise in part due to climate change, said the CDC. With shorter and warmer winters becoming the norm, fewer disease-carrying ticks are dying off in the cold months, increasing the number that survive and can bite humans when the weather warms up. Other factors, including land use, pest control and access to healthcare, impact how many tick bites are reported and if related diseases are spread amongst the local human and pet population. Lyme disease is one of the most common tickborne illnesses, but the insects can carry several other diseases capable of infecting animals and humans. Humans may contract a variety of pathogens from ticks, according to the CDC, including: Anaplasmosis Babesiosis Bourbon virus Colorado tick fever Ehrlichiosis Hard tick relapsing fever Heartland virus Lyme disease Powassan virus Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis Rocky Mountain spotted fever Soft tick relapsing fever STARI Tularemia 364D rickettsiosis The CDC notes that many tickborne illnesses have similar symptoms, with some of the most common including: Fever/chills. All tickborne diseases can cause fever. Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headaches, fatigue and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease may also have joint pain. Rash. Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes. The best cure for tick-borne illness is prevention, according to the CDC, which suggests the following to protect yourself from bites: Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin or buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear. Avoid contact with ticks. Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails. Use containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA's helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Check yourself: Ticks gravitate to the areas behind the knees, the groin, armpits, neck, hairline, between the toes, and behind the ears, so check those areas each day after you come inside. Contributing: Bailey Allen, USA TODAY Network; Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tick bites causing more ER visits in 2025 than years past: CDC
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tick bites are causing a spike in ER visits this year. An expert explains why.
Emergency room visits for tick bites this year are at the highest levels since 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rise is especially prevalent in the Northeast, where June figures show 229 tick bites per every 100,000 visits to ERs — up from 167 per 100,000 visits in June 2024. Tick bites can land someone in the hospital due to a number of tick-borne illnesses. Lyme disease, for example, can cause severe symptoms in people who were bitten by ticks carrying the borrelia bacteria. Different types of infected ticks can spread other bacteria, viruses and parasites that make people sick. For example, black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, can also spread babesiosis, anaplasmosis and Powassan virus disease. But why the spike in emergency room visits? A large driver is record-high tick populations in several states this year, Dr. Dennis Bente, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, told CBS News. "We are also seeing a longer tick season across the country, which historically has been a relatively predictable seasonal threat," Bente 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." Health experts say people should be aware of the diseases ticks can carry, and follow prevention strategies to help protect themselves. "Most people don't realize that ticks transmit more viruses and diseases than any other animal in the world, so this rapid increase in population is a serious concern for public health," Bente added. He calls the bugs "sneaky opportunists," nothing they "hang out in bushes or on top of grasses and wait for pets or people to walk by." Experts recommend protecting yourself against ticks by wearing long-sleeved clothing and using insect repellant while outside and doing a tick check and taking a shower once back home. Bente calls tick checks the "most critical prevention measure," and suggests using mirrors to look in any warm areas where ticks might lurk, such as the groin, armpits, scalp, behind the ears and knees and waistband. Social media content creator shows his hustle Udemy Is Powering Enterprise AI Transformation Through Skills Hiker on how she survived face-to-face encounter with mountain lion
