When it comes to tick bites and tick-related illnesses in New Jersey, there’s some good news and some bad news.
The good news: The number of emergency room visits for tick-related health issues, such as bites or suspected infections, has been lower this year than it was during the same time period last year, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health.
The bad news: Like other states across the Northeast and Midwest, New Jersey has seen a substantial rise in the number of tick-borne illnesses during the past four years. And it’s too early to know whether the trend will continue or reverse itself in 2024.
In 2020, hospitals across the Garden State reported 3,110 tick-borne illnesses — the majority of which were Lyme disease, and a fair amount of the rest were a rare disorder known as alpha-gal syndrome.
The number jumped to 4,141 in 2021, then soared to 6,744 in 2022 and 8,332 last year, according to data from the state health department.
So far this year, from Jan. 1 through May 15, New Jersey reported 1,762 cases of tick-borne illnesses and 353 emergency room visits related to ticks — down from 558 visits during the same period last year.
The state health department notes it’s not unusual to see some variation in the case numbers from year to year.
“While the counts for 2024 are lower than those of 2023, they are slightly higher than those of 2022, for example,” said Dr. Edward Lifshitz, medical director of the state health department’s Infectious and Zoonotic Disease Program, Communicable Disease Service. “In 2023, there were several weeks with elevated activity over the five-year average, which was also reflected in higher numbers of several tick-borne diseases transmitted by the deer tick,” such as Lyme disease and babesiosis, Lifshitz said.
Lifshitz said there could be several factors playing a role in keeping the number of tick emergencies down during the first four and a half months of this year.
The wet start to the spring season in New Jersey may have resulted in people spending less time outdoors, “which would result in fewer tick encounters,” he said.
It’s also possible fewer ticks around the state are infected with diseases, so more bites may be harmless to people. And some people who are getting ill from tick bites may be seeking medical care from non-emergency room facilities, such as private medical offices or urgent care centers, Lifshitz said.
Does warm weather lead to more ticks?
While some insects thrive in warm weather — and New Jersey had a warm winter and a relatively warm April — it doesn’t guarantee the state’s tick population will be booming this year, Lifshitz said.
“Deer ticks have a two-year life cycle, so current-season weather isn’t likely to result in an increase in tick populations active now, but a warm winter and spring may extend the period during which ticks are active,” he said.
“Although ticks are active at a range of temperatures, they are more active on warm days in the spring,” Lifshitz said. “However, the number of ticks is dependent on many variables, including temperature, humidity, and the presence of wild animals that they commonly feed on.”
Those animals include deer and white-footed mice.
“Some ticks, like the deer tick, which can carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis, are highly susceptible to drying out and require humid conditions. This is why they prefer the cover of leaf litter in wooded areas,” Lifshitz said.
Deer ticks tend to be less active when conditions are dry, he noted, while “other ticks, such as American dog ticks and lone star ticks, are more resistant to dry conditions.”
Beware of ticks
For anyone planning to hike in wooded areas or do yard work in grassy areas around their home, they should keep in mind that “ticks are active when temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit,” Lifshitz said. “If people are spending time outdoors in wooded or grassy habitats, they should assume ticks are active and take steps to prevent tick bites.”
Tips can be found on this web page: nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml.
Even though the tick-related emergency visits are lower so far this year compared to last year, the state health department says people should remain on guard and use extreme caution outdoors.
“Tick-borne diseases are a serious issue in New Jersey,” Lifshitz said. “While the number of people who are reported to have contracted these diseases may vary from year to year, the state health department does urge residents to take precautions against infection and to seek medical consultation if they believe they may have contracted any of these illnesses,” Lifshitz said.
He said the number of cases of tick-borne disease can vary “based on human-tick encounters and how well people take steps to prevent ticks before spending time outdoors and afterward.”
Some of the recommendations are to use an EPA-registered insect repellent on skin, treat outdoor clothes and gear with permethrin, conduct careful tick checks and promptly remove any ticks that are found, and showering after being outdoors in tick habitats, like tall grass and wooded areas.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.
