Southeast Tick-Bite ER Visits Hit 10-Year High as Doctors Urge Fast Checks
Updated
Updated · WTVD-TV · Jul 24
Southeast Tick-Bite ER Visits Hit 10-Year High as Doctors Urge Fast Checks
3 articles · Updated · WTVD-TV · Jul 24
Summary
Emergency department visits for tick bites across the Southeast have climbed to their highest level in a decade, with CDC-linked experts warning that Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are rising.
Duke Health doctors said North Carolina commonly sees Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and STARI, and stressed that early antibiotic treatment can prevent more serious complications.
Permethrin-treated clothing, long sleeves, pants and hats are among the main prevention steps, along with checking hidden areas such as behind knees, inside arms, behind ears and on the scalp after coming indoors.
Fever, unusual fatigue, headaches, joint or muscle aches and a bull's-eye rash should prompt a call to a doctor, while attached ticks should be removed quickly.
The regional spike fits a broader US surge in tick populations and disease cases that researchers have linked to climate, land-use changes and growing deer populations.