Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Medical Daily

Health

Joseph James

Tick Bites Are Sending More Americans to Emergency Rooms Than Ever Before This Summer

Disease Lyme Disease CDC Johns Hopkins Illinois Indiana Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Ohio

More Americans are going to emergency rooms for tick bites than at any previously recorded level — and it is only the beginning of summer.

Emergency department visits for tick bites increased more than 25 percent in April 2026 compared to April 2025, according to CDC data cited at a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health media briefing on May 5, 2026. Public health researchers called it an early indicator of what may be a challenging year for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

The official CDC case count for Lyme disease in 2023 — the most recent year with final data — was more than 89,000 confirmed cases. Researchers believe that number represents only a fraction of the real burden.

Why This Matters

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. Early Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics. Later-stage Lyme disease — when diagnosis has been delayed — can involve joint damage, neurological problems, heart rhythm disturbances, and persistent symptoms that can last months to years even after treatment.

The challenge is that early Lyme disease is often missed. The characteristic bull's-eye rash (erythema migrans) is absent in a meaningful share of patients. The illness may initially feel like a summer flu or general fatigue. In areas where Lyme was once rare — Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan — physicians are less accustomed to considering it as a diagnosis.

State health departments reported more than 89,000 cases of Lyme disease to the CDC in 2023. Research suggests the actual number is likely closer to 500,000 — indicating significant underreporting, particularly in endemic areas and in newly expanding regions.

What We Know So Far

The 25 percent increase in April ER visits for tick bites is an early-season signal that tick populations are active, human-tick contact is increasing, and the 2026 season is beginning on a trajectory above prior years.

Speakers at the Johns Hopkins May 2026 media briefing explained the ecological drivers: warmer, milder winters allow more ticks to survive into the following year. Growing deer populations provide reproductive hosts for adult ticks. Suburban development brings humans into proximity with wooded and brushy tick habitat.

The geographic expansion of deer ticks is well documented. The 2026 Companion Animal Parasite Council forecast projects the greatest expansion of Lyme disease risk in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, and Michigan — areas where the disease was once considered rare.

Where the Risk Is Highest

The Northeast and Upper Midwest remain the highest-burden regions — Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Wisconsin account for a large share of confirmed cases each year.

But the expansion into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and the Upper Midwest means residents in Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Detroit now face meaningful tick exposure risk in suburban parks, backyards, and wooded areas — settings where Lyme disease was not previously a primary concern.

According to Contagion Live reporting on Lyme disease expert testimony, the tick that transmits Lyme disease has now been found in almost every Indiana county, and Illinois and Ohio are showing significant increases in tick density and case counts.

What Doctors and Experts Say

At the Johns Hopkins media briefing, Dr. Nicole Baumgarth, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research and Education Institute, explained: "This increase in tick populations is going to be caused primarily by climate change. Warmer, milder winters are great for ticks to survive to the next year without freezing."

Dr. Thomas Hart, infectious disease microbiologist at Johns Hopkins, noted that even colder winters can paradoxically help ticks: heavy snowfall insulates ticks from freezing temperatures, acting as a protective cover.

Researchers consistently note a key diagnostic challenge: approximately 20 percent of people diagnosed with Lyme disease never recall a tick bite. Nymphal ticks — the life stage responsible for most human infections — are roughly the size of a poppy seed and can remain attached and feeding for days without being noticed.

What the Evidence Shows — and What It Does Not

Lyme disease diagnosis relies on a two-step blood test that detects antibodies. According to the CDC, this test can return negative results in the first few weeks of infection, before the immune system has generated enough antibodies to be detected. Testing too early in the course of illness can produce a false negative.

Early antibiotic treatment — doxycycline for most patients, within days to weeks of a tick bite or symptom onset — is highly effective. The evidence strongly supports early treatment. The evidence base for "chronic Lyme disease" as a distinct clinical entity following completed treatment is contested; most physicians follow the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines, which do not support long-term antibiotic courses in most cases.

Who Faces the Greatest Risk?

People most likely to be exposed to ticks and develop Lyme disease include:

Outdoor workers in landscaping, forestry, construction, and agriculture in endemic regions
Hikers, campers, gardeners, hunters, and people who spend time in wooded or brushy areas
Children aged 5 to 15, who historically have the highest reported case rates
Adults aged 45 to 55, the second most commonly affected age group
People in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, and increasingly in the expanding Midwest regions
Dog owners, whose pets can carry ticks indoors

Symptoms and Warning Signs to Watch For

Early Lyme disease (within three to 30 days of a tick bite):

Bull's-eye rash (erythema migrans) at the bite site — though absent in up to 30 percent of cases
Fever, chills, and fatigue
Muscle and joint aches
Headache

Later manifestations (weeks to months after untreated infection):

Severe joint pain and swelling, particularly in the knee
Facial palsy (drooping on one side of the face)
Heart rhythm irregularities
Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
Memory and concentration difficulties

What You Can Do Now

Use EPA-registered tick repellent containing 20 to 30 percent DEET or permethrin-treated clothing when outdoors in tick habitat.
Perform a full-body tick check after outdoor activities — including scalp, behind ears, under arms, and between legs.
Remove attached ticks promptly using fine-tipped tweezers, pulling straight upward with steady pressure.
Shower within two hours of coming indoors.
Talk to your veterinarian about tick prevention for dogs.
Contact a clinician if you develop fever, fatigue, or a rash after a tick bite or potential exposure — even if you never found a tick. Do not wait for the classic bull's-eye rash.

Cost and Access: What Patients Should Know

Standard Lyme disease testing is covered by most insurance plans. Early-stage treatment with doxycycline is inexpensive in generic form and widely available. People without insurance can access evaluation and treatment at federally qualified health centers and many urgent care clinics. Telehealth is a reasonable option for initial evaluation if you have no symptoms requiring a physical exam.

What Happens Next

The 2026 tick season is expected to remain active through October in most endemic regions. Updated CDC case count data for 2024 are expected to be published later in 2026. Lyme disease vaccine research is advancing, though no human vaccine is currently approved in the United States. MedicalDaily will report on new vaccine developments and any significant changes in CDC tick surveillance data.

The Bottom Line

Tick bites are sending more Americans to emergency rooms than ever, and the geographic reach of Lyme disease continues to expand into states where it was once rare. Summer is peak season. The prevention tools are simple — repellent, protective clothing, tick checks, and prompt tick removal. The treatment is effective if started early. Do not wait for a bull's-eye rash that may never appear before seeking medical evaluation after a potential tick exposure.