Ticks are having a banner year
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Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
This year's tick season has been a doozy, and another peak is coming in the fall.
Why it matters: Tick bites can transmit diseases, like Lyme disease, but in Kansas City the bigger threat is the Lone Star tick, which spreads ehrlichiosis and can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.
By the numbers: Even before the month's end, this August had the highest rate of emergency department visits for tick bites since the CDC's tracker began in 2017, a major year for ticks.
- Through Aug. 23, there were 34 August ER visits for tick bites per 100,000 total ER visits nationally.
- The Midwest, which includes Missouri and Kansas, saw 137 per 100,000 ER visits in April alone.
Zoom in: The metro logged 105 tickborne illness cases across Jackson, Johnson, Clay and Wyandotte counties between 2019 and 2022, per CDC data cited in a Children's Mercy Kansas City clinical pathway.
The latest: A CDC report published in July found 26% of Missouri blood donors carried alpha-gal antibodies, the second-highest rate among 10 states tested and behind only Arkansas. Kansas was not studied.
- A Missouri law effective Friday requires labs and providers to report alpha-gal and Lyme cases to the state.
What's next: Fall is a second peak here, partly because deer move more during mating season and ticks travel with them.
To stay safe, wear long sleeves and long pants in areas with dense tick populations, use insect repellent, and check yourself, children and pets for ticks after spending time outdoors, says Goudarz Molaei, who directs Connecticut's tick surveillance program.
Go deeper: How to remove a tick.