U.S. Tick-Bite ER Visits Hit 118 per 100,000 as 2026 Season Starts Early

3 articles · Updated · TODAY · Jun 25

118 of every 100,000 U.S. emergency-department visits were tied to tick bites as of June 21, after April already logged the highest rate for that month since 2017.
CDC data show tick activity ramped up in February and March, pointing to a longer season, with the Northeast and Midwest seeing the heaviest burden and the South Central region the main exception.
Warming temperatures, milder winters, growing deer and mouse populations, and human land use are helping ticks survive, spread and carry disease across more regions.
31 million Americans are bitten by ticks each year, and experts expect both bites and tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease—treated in about 500,000 people annually—to keep rising through summer and fall.