Tick bites are increasing in Middle Tennessee, doctors say
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Ticks are sending more people to emergency rooms this year, and Middle Tennessee doctors are urging residents to take precautions.
Why it matters: Tick bites can transmit illnesses like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. They can also trigger alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat and other mammal-derived products.
By the numbers: The United States is in the midst of one of the most intense tick seasons in a decade. The latest CDC data shows troublesome tick bites are still on the rise.
- Emergency department visits for tick bites in the Southeast rose from 6 per 100,000 visits in January and February to 26 in March, 50 in April, 64 in May and 70 in June, according to CDC data.
Zoom in: Dr. Brian Wilcox, chief clinical officer for Ascension Saint Thomas, oversees 20 emergency departments across the region. He tells Axios his doctors are seeing more tick activity.
Threat level: Shorter, warmer winters and fewer hard freezes have helped ticks survive and multiply at higher rates, Wilcox says.
- Growing deer and rodent populations have amplified the problem, giving ticks more hosts to travel on.
What to do: Wilcox recommends wearing light-colored clothing and using repellents such as DEET on skin.
- When you're outside or walking through grassy or wooded areas, Wilcox says, it's a good idea to tuck your pants into your socks.
- "It's a funny look, but it works effectively."
After you come inside: Check yourself, kids and pets for ticks.
If you find a tick attached: Don't twist, rip or burn it off. Instead, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp it close to the skin, then pull upward with steady pressure.
Yes, and: Save the tick in a sealed bag if possible. Wilcox says identifying the species can help doctors treat symptoms if they develop.
Act fast: Dr. Marshall Hall, chief of emergency medicine at TriStar Skyline Medical Center, tells Axios the risk of disease transmission generally rises the longer a tick is attached.
- "The quicker we get it off of you, the better," Hall says.
When to call a doctor: Seek medical attention if you develop a fever, fatigue, headaches or a rash.
- "One of the things that we reiterate to our resident physicians that are working with us ... is [if you encounter] a fever in the summer months, you've got to think about tick-borne illness," Hall says.