Tick Danger: New App Maps Local Risk Daily

TickZone, an app designed to inform users about local tick risks, now provides daily alerts for communities across New Jersey. Created by Nathan Burnett following his brother's Lyme disease diagnosis, the platform offers a town-by-town risk score from 0-100, updated daily. This score considers factors like local weather, the current tick life-stage, forest cover, and county disease data, classifying risks as Low (0-33), Moderate (34-66), or High (67-100).

The app's detailed approach moves beyond statewide outlooks, offering practical, hyperlocal information for daily decisions. This includes considerations for dog walking, children's activities, gardening, or spending time outdoors in wooded or grassy areas. The need for such a tool is underscored by recent CDC reports of a decade-high in tick-related emergency room visits.

TickZone's reach has now extended significantly, covering over 26,800 towns in 38 states. Users can access information on common tick species in their area, the diseases they carry, and essential prevention tips. This expansion aims to increase awareness and help mitigate the growing threat of tick-borne illnesses nationwide.