Michigan Lyme Cases Jump to 3,379 as State Offers Free Tick Identification

4 articles · Updated · UpNorthLive.com · May 22

Michigan reported 3,379 Lyme disease cases in 2025, up from 1,215 in 2024, prompting experts to warn that tick season could be “extremely bad.”
Northern Michigan veterinarians say the rise is already visible: one Traverse City clinic went from seeing pets with ticks once or twice a year to once or twice a week.
Moist conditions are helping drive tick activity, and experts urged repellents, long light-colored clothing, immediate laundry and showers after time outdoors to cut exposure.
MDHHS, which now classifies Michigan as a high-incidence Lyme state, is offering residents free tick identification by photo because not all ticks carry disease and quick identification can guide care.

As warming winters make Michigan a tick paradise, are personal repellents our only defense against this escalating public health crisis?

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