Health
Summer is tick season, but these tips can help you avoid the bloodsucking bugs
Tick season is starting across the U.S., and experts are warning the bloodsuckers may be as plentiful as ever.
Another mild winter and other favorable factors likely means the 2024 tick population will be equal to last year or larger, some researchers say.
“It’s very bad and has only been getting worse,” said Susanna Visser of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TICK BITES AND LYME DISEASE: WHAT TO DO IF A TICK BITES YOU OR YOUR PET
An increasing variety of ticks are pushing into new geographical areas, bringing unusual diseases. Exotic southern species like the Gulf Coast tick and the lone star tick are being detected in New York and other northern states, for example.
But the tick that experts warn of the most is a common blacklegged tick, which is found mainly in forests and spreads Lyme disease. Infection rates begin to peak in May, and U.S. health officials estimate nearly half a million Lyme disease infections happen annually.
Here’s a look at what’s expected this year and how you can protect yourself.
An adult deer tick, also known as the blacklegged tick, crawls on a fingernail at Connetquot State Park in Oakdale, New York on Dec. 27, 2011. (Bill Davis/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
TICK FACTS
Ticks are small, eight-legged bloodsucking parasites — arachnids, not insects — that feed on animals and sometimes people. Some ticks are infected with germs that can cause illness, and they spread those germs when they bite.
There is no widely accepted estimate of how many ticks there are from one year to the next, but there is a scientific consensus that they are an increasingly common health hazard in large portions of the United States.
Blacklegged ticks — also known as deer ticks, since they feed on deer — are among the most common ticks in the eastern half of the U.S. They were plentiful centuries ago, then diminished when forests were cut down and deer were hunted, and rebounded alongside deer and wooded suburbs. The ticks have spread out from pockets in New England and the Midwest over a wider range.
Tick populations cycle throughout the year and their numbers depend on a few factors. They like warm, humid weather, and more can be seen after a mild winter. The more deer and mice available to feed matters, too.
Overall, the blacklegged tick population has been expanding for at least four decades, researchers say.
“This is an epidemic in slow motion,” said Rebecca Eisen, a CDC research biologist and tick expert.
2024 TICK SEASON FORECAST
Weather can play a role in the severity of a tick season.
Very cold, dry winters can whittle down tick populations, but recent winters have been mild — a trend some attribute to climate change.
As Scott Williams, a tick researcher at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said: “Winters are no longer limiting the tick population.”
Ticks can withstand the heat but tend to almost hibernate when it’s a dry summer. That happened in Maine in 2020 through 2022, said Chuck Lubelczyk, a vector ecologist at the MaineHealth Institute for Research.
But last year was a very wet year, and tick activity multiplied in Maine — the state with the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the country. Weather service predictions call for higher temperatures and precipitation, so “on paper, at least, it could be a very good year for the ticks,” Lubelczyk said.
In Wisconsin, adult ticks were out longer than usual due to a mild winter. The tick nymphs are starting to emerge, and a wet spring is setting the stage for the possibility that the population will be robust, said Xia Lee, an entomologist at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Ditto New York.
“It will be as bad as last year, or worse,” said Saravanan Thangamani, who studies ticks and tickborne diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.
WHAT IS LYME DISEASE?
Not all ticks are infected with disease-causing germs — about 20% to 30% of the blacklegged tick nymphs that emerge in the Northeast and Midwest this spring and into summer will be carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, experts estimate.
Lyme disease symptoms tend to start between three and 30 days after a bite occurs and can include fever, headache, fatigue and a bull’s-eye-like rash. If you get bitten and develop symptoms, see a doctor to get treated with antibiotics.
HOW TO KEEP TICKS OFF OF YOU
Experts say the best thing to do is take steps to avoid a tick bite in the first place.
If you go outdoors, make note of wooded areas and where grassy properties start bleeding into wooded areas. Ticks tend to perch on ankle-level vegetation with their upper legs outstretched, waiting to latch on to an unsuspecting dog or human.
Try to walk in the middle of paths, wear light-colored and permethrin-treated clothing and use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents.
HOW TO CHECK FOR TICKS
When you come inside, check for ticks. They can be found anywhere on the human body, but common spots include around the waist, behind the knees, between fingers and toes, on underarms, in the belly button and around the neck or hairline.
They are harder to see when they are young, so look carefully and immediately pull them off with tweezers.
The CDC does not recommend sending individual ticks to testing services for analysis, because a person might get more than one tick bite and the results from the tested tick may not be sufficient information.
Bipartisan push to invest in US national parks
Bret Baier moderates a discussion with Representatives Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) about the ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative. This bipartisan effort seeks to modernize national parks ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, investing $1.9 billion annually. They emphasize national parks as common ground, beloved by all Americans, and crucial for our shared heritage.
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As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, many Americans are taking extra notice of all the things the country has to offer.
One such case is our access to vast wilderness. Today, the nation’s national parks are bustling tourist attractions, but they may also serve as vital resources for public health, experts say.
The most immediate health boost comes from physical movement.
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Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that regular physical activity is crucial for reducing obesity, improving sleep quality and lowering the risk of chronic illnesses.
The nation’s public lands include parks, trails and open spaces that encourage outdoor recreation and physical activity.
Beyond physical fitness, national parks contribute to documented mental health benefits. (iStock)
A review by the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) found that implementing park, trail and greenway infrastructure directly increases physical activity across communities.
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When people walk, hike or bike through national parks, they are actively lowering their blood pressure, boosting immune function and reducing overall mortality, data shows.
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Beyond physical fitness, national parks may contribute to documented mental health benefits.
Previous research has demonstrated that direct exposure to nature significantly reduces physiological stress, lowers heart rates and decreases levels of stress hormones, like cortisol.
Engaging in educational activities and lifelong learning preserves brain function, improves memory and helps stave off age-related cognitive decline, research shows. (iStock)
This research also shows that natural environments boost attention span, combat mental fatigue and improve cognitive performance.
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Parks also act as natural venues for mindfulness and social connection.
Research shows that practicing mindfulness in quiet outdoor spaces lowers stress and mitigates feelings of loneliness and social isolation.
Research highlights that practicing mindfulness in quiet outdoor spaces lowers stress and mitigates feelings of loneliness and social isolation. (iStock)
Additionally, because parks protect cultural and historical resources, they can inspire lifelong learning.
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According to the data, engaging in educational activities and lifelong learning preserves brain function, improves memory and helps stave off age-related cognitive decline.
The National Park Service was established in 1916 to conserve the nation’s natural and historic resources for future generations, according to the organization.
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Today, that mission has expanded, as parks are recognized not only for their scenic and cultural value, but also the opportunities they provide for recreation and physical activity.
Screwworm outbreak threat to US livestock, prompts USDA action
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses USDA’s response to the New World Screwworm outbreak in Texas and New Mexico, assuring safe food supply on ‘The Bottom Line.’ VI LONG DEK: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins addresses the alarming resurgence of New World Screwworm in Texas and New Mexico, emphasizing USDA’s aggressive containment efforts. She confirms the food supply remains safe while highlighting the administration’s focus on domestic fertilizer production, investing billions in new plants and infrastructure projects. Rollins celebrates 250 years of American agriculture and its vital role in national security.
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Doctors thought a 60-year-old man had metastatic brain cancer after scans revealed multiple tumors – but further testing revealed a shocking diagnosis.
The Spanish man, who was not named, was found to have a parasitic tapeworm larvae lodged in his brain — a case of neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium).
The patient, a lifelong resident of Castellón, Spain, had not traveled to any regions where the disease is endemic, according to the case report published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
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The man had initially come to the hospital after suffering two weeks of progressive headaches and mild behavioral changes.
Radiologic findings from a study of autochthonous neurocysticercosis brain lesions mimicking metastatic disease. (Emerging Infectious Diseases)
CT scans showed multiple abnormal spots that looked like tumors that had spread from cancer elsewhere in the body, leading doctors to suspect advanced brain cancer.
However, whole-body scans, a colonoscopy and specialized imaging failed to identify cancer anywhere in the patient’s body, the case report stated.
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When doctors performed a more detailed MRI, they discovered several fluid-filled cysts in the brain, some of which contained the head of a tapeworm. A blood test confirmed the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis.
The man was treated with a combination of albendazole and praziquantel (two antiparasitic medications), as well as corticosteroids to reduce inflammation. He successfully recovered with no complications, according to the case report.
CT scans (not pictured) showed multiple abnormal spots that looked like tumors that had spread from cancer elsewhere in the body, leading doctors to suspect advanced brain cancer. (iStock)
The authors suggested that the patient may have gotten the infection after accidentally ingesting microscopic tapeworm eggs years earlier.
The exposure may have occurred while working a construction job with migrant coworkers from regions where neurocysticercosis is endemic.
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People can catch the pork tapeworm in two different ways. Eating undercooked infected pork usually leads to an intestinal tapeworm, but accidentally swallowing the parasite’s eggs — typically through food or water contaminated with feces — can send the larvae into the bloodstream, where they may form cysts in the brain and other organs. This can cause the disease the patient in the case report acquired.
A photomicrograph shows histopathologic features in a brain tissue specimen from a case of neurocysticercosis caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. The image documents pathological changes associated with this parasitic infection. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
As this was just a single case, the source of transmission could not be proven, the researchers acknowledged, and the findings cannot be generalized to a wider population. The report shows that there is a possibility of local transmission in non-endemic settings, but cannot establish how often this occurs.
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In the United States, less than 2% of neurocysticercosis cases are considered domestically acquired, according to the case report.
A prior systematic review identified only 18 confirmed locally acquired cases in Western Europe between 1990 and 2011.
The authors suggested that the patient may have gotten the infection after accidentally ingesting microscopic tapeworm eggs years earlier. (Associated Press)
In some cases, NCC can cause serious symptoms, including seizures, stroke, neurological deficits and cognitive decline.
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“Our case emphasizes that the absence of travel history should not preclude NCC from the differential diagnosis of multiple ring-enhancing brain lesions, even in regions where metastatic cancer is statistically much more likely,” the researchers concluded in the case study.
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Detecting the worms earlier could have prevented “unnecessary invasive oncologic procedures and led to prompt, targeted antiparasitic therapy,” they added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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A rare and potentially fatal tick-borne illness currently spreading across the United States can be traced back to a 1958 case involving a young boy on a farm.
The disease, known as Powassan virus, was named for the Ontario town near where it was first discovered.
At the time of his death, Lincoln Byers, a 4-year-old living in Canada, had a condition that medical professionals could not explain, the Boston Globe reported.
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Years later, researchers discovered a tick harboring the same virus on a dead squirrel, finally providing an answer to the tragedy, but foreshadowing a growing public health challenge.
While once considered an obscure medical anomaly, Powassan virus cases have reached historic highs in the U.S., data show.
Powassan is most prevalent from late spring through mid-fall, when tick populations peak and outdoor activity increases. (iStock)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 Americans were diagnosed with the virus in 2025, the highest annual total on record. Previously, the U.S. averaged just seven to eight diagnoses each year.
The virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected woodchuck tick or deer tick. Like other tick-borne illnesses, Powassan is most prevalent from late spring through mid-fall, when tick populations peak and outdoor activity increases.
Public health experts warn that the virus’s transmission speed makes it uniquely dangerous.
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“One of the most dangerous aspects is its rapid transmission,” Dr. Jorge P. Parada, a medical advisor at the National Pest Management Association in Chicago, told Fox News Digital.
“Powassan can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes after the infected tick bites, while Lyme disease usually requires a 36- to 48-hour attachment time for transmission.”
Powassan carries an incubation period of one to four weeks before symptoms manifest. (iStock)
Parada noted that while Powassan remains rare compared to Lyme disease, it poses clinical concern.
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Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, confirmed that the virus transmits significantly faster than Lyme disease. He noted that Powassan carries an incubation period of one to four weeks before symptoms manifest.
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Initial symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting and weakness, though some infected individuals remain asymptomatic, according to the CDC.
There are currently no specific medications or vaccines to treat or prevent Powassan virus. (iStock)
The virus can progress to severe neurological complications, including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the spinal cord membranes).
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In severe cases, patients may experience confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking and seizures, per the CDC.
“One of the most dangerous aspects of it is its rapid transmission.”
Approximately 10% of Powassan cases involving severe neurological disease are fatal, and many survivors experience long-term neurological issues.
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There are currently no specific medications or vaccines to treat or prevent Powassan virus; clinical care is limited to supportive therapy, such as intravenous fluids and respiratory support.
While anyone can develop severe illness, those at the highest risk include children, older adults and immunocompromised individuals, experts caution.
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