Tick bite related ER visits near record highs

This summer has been one of the worst tick seasons in years, with tick bite-related emergency room visits nearing all-time highs, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

July’s ER visits have already reached the highest level nationwide since 2017, CDC data shows, with the Northeast in particular reporting the most cases.

In June, the CDC recorded 229 tick bites per every 100,000 ER visits in the region. In June 2024, the agency recorded 167 bites per 100,000 visits.

Children under the age of 10 and those over the age of 70 are the most at risk, according to data.

The black-legged tick, or deer tick, is the most common tick in the Northeast. And the risk of being bitten by one in the area this week is very high (9 out of 10), according to estimates by Fordham University’s Tri-State Tick Risk.

Dr. Thomas Mather, the Director of the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, told CBS, that hot and dry days typically kill deer ticks. However, with less hot days this spring more ticks survived into the summer.

The CDC suggests preventing tick bites by treating clothes with permethrin, using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellents, and learning where to expect them.