US, UK Report Rising Tick Bites as Lyme Cases Jump 69%
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 21
US, UK Report Rising Tick Bites as Lyme Cases Jump 69%
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 21
Summary
CDC data show US emergency-room visits for tick bites are unusually high this year, with about 31 million Americans bitten annually and the total climbing for more than a decade.
A 69% rise in US Lyme disease rates in 2022 versus the 2017-2019 average, and a more than 20% increase in England cases from 2024 to 2025, track with expanding tick ranges.
Experts tie that expansion to milder winters, warmer summers and suburban growth into former forests, which boosts habitat for mice, deer and other hosts that carry ticks and pathogens.
CDC and physicians say the best protection is fast detection: shower after outdoor exposure, check dark damp body areas, and remove ticks with fine-tip tweezers within 24 hours when possible.
Doctors may give a single doxycycline dose after some bites, but experts warn ticks can also spread illnesses including anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis and alpha-gal syndrome.