Tick Season Warning: Deadly Illnesses on the Rise

Tick season has arrived, marking an increase in ER visits for bites, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest U.S. This period, typically April to September, is amplified by a warming climate, extending the season and expanding tick ranges northward into unexpected areas. Several tick-borne diseases pose significant threats. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, spread by various ticks, is the deadliest, with a 3-5% fatality rate if untreated. Powassan virus, carried by blacklegged ticks in the Northeast and Great Lakes, is also severe, killing one in ten individuals with serious symptoms. Anaplasmosis, another illness from blacklegged and western blacklegged ticks, presents similar symptoms but is treatable with antibiotics, boasting a much lower mortality rate of about 0.5%. Babesiosis, also from blacklegged ticks, affects red blood cells and can have a death rate up to 9% in healthy individuals. These diseases are increasingly found in previously uncolonized areas, impacting both human and animal populations, with dogs being particularly susceptible to anaplasmosis.