Health officials issue warning on overlooked threat causing surge in ER visits — here's what you need to know

Virginia has seen a surge in emergency room and urgent care visits this year due to tick bites and tick-borne injuries.

What's happening?

This is in line with a national trend, according to local radio station WAMU 88.5. The news source said that Virginia has recorded 9,100 tick-related visits to ER and urgent care so far in 2025.

"We're seeing about 27 visits per 10,000 that are tick bite-related," Dr. Eleanor Labgold, a public health entomologist and supervisor of tick surveillance programs with the Virginia Department of Health, told WAMU. "In 2024, this number was closer to 16."

Why is this surge concerning?

Lyme disease is the major tick-related health concern for Virginians, according to WAMU. According to Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease can progress into a long-term illness with symptoms such as joint stiffness and arthritis. However, Virginia health officials are also keeping an eye on babesiosis, a parasitic illness that is "somewhat similar" to malaria, according to Labgold.

Virginia is not the only state on alert when it comes to tick-borne illnesses. Ohio is seeing a surge in Lyme disease cases, which experts are linking to changing deer migration patterns and hotter, wetter weather.

Across North America, milder winters and more humid conditions — side effects of rising global temperatures — are helping disease-carrying ticks expand their active seasons in many locations and facilitating northward and westward expansions of these parasites in North America.

For instance, Montana officials recently announced that one resident found a Lyme disease-carrying deer tick on his dog, an anomaly for the state. And one group of scientists found that Lyme disease risk doubled in the Canadian province of Quebec and tripled in Manitoba between 2000 and 2015. 

What's being done about tick-borne diseases?

Scientists are developing a promising new tool in the fight against tick-borne diseases: a chewable tablet for humans that can help repel ticks.

For now, you can reduce your risk of getting bitten by following advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes walking in the middle of trails, wearing long clothing, and spraying footwear, clothing, and camping gear with insecticide that contains 0.5% permethrin.

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