Early indicators suggest a significant uptick in tick bites in 2023, with emergency care visits for tick-related incidents at their highest since 2019. Each year, around 31 million Americans experience tick bites, with Lyme disease being the most prevalent tick-borne illness. Ticks can transmit over a dozen pathogens, posing a serious health risk. Experts emphasize that quick action can reduce transmission risk since many ticks take time to attach and transmit diseases. Awareness of ticks' behaviors can help mitigate the threat they pose to public health.
"But ticks can actually expose people in the U.S. to more than a dozen different disease-causing agents," says Alison Hinckley, an epidemiologist at the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. "The illnesses can range from mild to life-threatening," Hinckley adds.
"The longer a tick is attached, the more likely it is to have spit an infectious dose of whatever germ it might be carrying into you," says Thomas Mather, director of the University of Rhode Island's Center for Vector-Borne Disease.
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