Tick bite emergency room visits soar

Emergency room visits are on the rise earlier for tick bites, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the data for the most recent week, 71 per 100,000 ER visits were because of tick bites, more than double the typical number for the time of year.

An expert said the increase in the number of ER visits could be caused by an increase in awareness of the link between tick bites and Lyme disease or an increase in the number of ticks.

“The ticks have started a little earlier. There seems to be a lot of them. A lot of people are going to the emergency room,” Dr. John J. Halperin, chair of the New Jersey Stroke Care Advisory Panel and member of the department of neuroscience at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center in New Jersey told ABC News.

“It’s not entirely clear how much of this is increased recognition and as people become more aware of this, more going to the emergency room. But there seems to be a clear increase in the number of ticks out there.”

Lyme disease, one of the most well-known tick-borne maladies, has been on the rise in recent years, according to CDC data. The range of the disease has expanded significantly since 1995, but the range remains mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.

Another disease from tick bites that has gained notoriety in recent years in alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy possibly triggered by the bite of a lone star tick. Lone star ticks are found in the Northeast, South and Midwest.

The CDC said as many as 450,000 people may be affected by alpha-gal syndrome.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out to see if there has been a noteworthy local increase in tick bite ER visits. So far, those hospitals that have gotten back to us have not.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

TRENDING STORIES:

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]