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Growing tick populations across the United States are leading to more tick bites. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
As of April, the Northeast saw the largest increase in tick-related ER visits. These rates are far higher than in other parts of the United States. The Midwest is the second-most-affected region. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Tick bites can cause Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can be difficult to diagnose and treat. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThis trend is consistent with a broader pattern of increasing tick-borne disease burden in the United States,\u201d said Robert Glatter<\/a>, MD, attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital and assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra\/ Northwell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAn estimated 400,000\u2013470,000<\/a> cases of Lyme disease are now diagnosed annually in the U.S., and this number has been rising over the past two decades. Higher ER visits for tick bites likely reflect both a true increase in tick encounters and growing public awareness of tick-borne illness,\u201d Glatter told Healthline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Around 31 million<\/a> people in the United States are bitten by a tick each year. According to the All regions, except the South Central areas, reported the highest weekly number of tick bite ER visits since 2017. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cEmergency departments in endemic areas should be prepared for a corresponding rise in patients presenting with early Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections during peak season (May through August),\u201d said Glatter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tick bites can lead to various illnesses, including: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lyme disease, in particular, is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n According to a media briefing by the Bloomberg School of Public Health<\/a>, one of the main reasons for the growing shift in Lyme disease cases and ER visits due to tick bites is climate change. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere has been a rise in tick activity believed to be related to rising temperatures, resulting in shorter and milder winters. Ticks and the animals they thrive on flourish in these conditions,\u201d said Jonathan Jennings<\/a>, MD, a board certified internist with Medical Offices of Manhattan. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cNaturally, since there is increased tick activity, the risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases increases proportionally,\u201d he told Healthline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n