DETROIT – Emergency rooms across the country are seeing a sharp rise in tick bite cases, with July 2025 already hitting the highest number of tick-related ER visits since 2017 -- and the month is only a week old.
---> Everything you need to know about ticks in Michigan
This trend has been noticeable in local health reports for the past two years, with more people seeking care at emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and doctors’ offices due to tick bites. One doctor in Clarkston reported seeing three cases of Lyme disease just in late June.
What you need to know
Emergency department visits for tick bites per 100,000 visits in July have steadily increased over the past eight years. July 2017 previously held the record, but 2025 has already surpassed it, even with most of the month still ahead.
Part of the problem is that climate change has expanded the habitats where ticks thrive, allowing them to survive in areas they previously did not. This is especially evident in the Midwest, where data shows a clear increase in tick-related visits so far this year compared to last year.
Ticks can transmit several illnesses through their bites, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and anaplasmosis. CDC data shows children under 10 and adults over 70 are most likely to be seen in emergency rooms for tick bites. Men are also treated more often than women.
While ticks can now be found almost anywhere, they are most common in high grass, wooded areas and places with dense brush. Most people don’t feel tick bites because ticks inject compounds in their saliva that make the bite painless. That’s why regular tick checks on yourself, your children, and pets are so important.
In most cases, a tick must be attached for more than 24 hours to transmit Lyme disease.
You can reduce your risk of tick bites by wearing insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of eucalyptus. Showering immediately after coming indoors can also help by washing off unattached ticks or making it easier to find attached ones.
---> 4 ways to protect yourself from ticks in Michigan, and 4 things to do after you’re outside
