Updated
Updated · Bangor Daily News · May 17
CDC Warns as Tick Bite ER Visits Hit Highest Level Since 2017
Updated
Updated · Bangor Daily News · May 17

CDC Warns as Tick Bite ER Visits Hit Highest Level Since 2017

4 articles · Updated · Bangor Daily News · May 17
  • Emergency-room visits for tick bites have climbed to their highest level for this point in the year since 2017, prompting a CDC warning as outdoor season begins.
  • Northeast states are seeing the sharpest rise and the Midwest the second-largest, with the agency linking the surge to warmer temperatures, milder winters and expanding tick habitats.
  • 476,000 people are treated for Lyme disease each year in the U.S., making it the most common tick-borne illness; most cases are concentrated in the Northeast, Upper Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
  • 14 states account for about 90% of reported Lyme cases, and infection risk varies widely by region because only blacklegged and western blacklegged ticks spread the disease.
  • 24 to 36 hours of attachment is usually needed to transmit Lyme disease, the CDC says, making prompt tick checks, showers and removal after outdoor activity a key preventive step.
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