Local Tick Populations Are Growing—And Climate Change is a Factor

With tick bites and Lyme disease cases on the rise, City Limits put together a list on how New Yorkers can avoid tick-borne diseases and stay safe.

As New Yorkers enjoy the city’s parks this summer they should be aware that a very small (and sometimes deadly) threat could be lurking in the nearest bush, blade of grass or flowerbed: the tick. 

This tiny parasite, which is active in spring, summer and especially early fall, can bite humans and transmit a myriad of infections they contracted from deer or mice.

For every 100,000 hospital visits in the northeast region, 283 in May, 231 in June and 147 in July, were for tick bites, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s the highest rate on record for the area over the last five years.

The growth can be attributed to a wide range of issues, including an increase in deer population in the northeast and climate change. 

“Warmer average temperatures driven by climate change have led to longer summers, earlier spring, and shorter and milder winter, extending the geography and seasonality of ticks,” the city’s Health Department said in an advisory.

Tick-borne diseases include the sometimes fatal anaplasmosis, which can cause organ failure and babesiosis, an infection that can lead to anemia and a low platelet count in blood cells. 

But the most common tick-borne ailment in New York City is Lyme disease, which can lead to an infection in the joints, heart and nervous system if left untreated.

In New York City, the yearly number of Lyme disease cases has increased sharply over the last 25 years. In the year 2000 only 215 cases were recorded; in 2024, there were 2,952 cases of Lyme disease reported among New York City residents, preliminary data from the New York City Health Department shows.

“I always tell people, whenever they’re going to do any sort of outdoor activity, come home within two hours, take a shower, check yourselves from head to toe,” said Paul Vega, a sales arborist at Davey Trees, a company that specializes in tree care. 

Vega also suggests pulling the tick off carefully with a tweezer to avoid removing the torso and leaving the head lodged in the skin, as it can still spread disease that way.

An infected black-legged tick, also known as deer tick, can give a person Lyme disease if it remains attached for 24 or more hours. If an expanding rash that looks like a bullseye and has a diameter of more than two inches shows up on the skin or flu-like symptoms emerge over a 30 day period following a bite, a health care provider should be contacted immediately.

In the five boroughs, Manhattan and Brooklyn have the highest number of tick-borne diseases, according to the New York City Health Department. Local transmissions usually occur in Staten Island and more rarely the Bronx, the Health Department notes. 

But most people report getting bitten after a period of travel outside of the Big Apple to places like upstate New York, Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. 

As New Yorkers face the growth of tick populations, City Limits pulled together some tips on how to stay protected. 

• When outdoors, use an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, or IR3535. The product label must indicate it is effective against ticks and not just mosquitos. Spray the repellent on your clothing and shoes (not your skin). 

• Wear light-colored clothes, which allows you to spot ticks more easily. And tuck your pants into your socks.

• When going hiking, follow clearly marked trails, avoid brushing against foliage, and be aware that ticks can be picked up in short grass also.
• Check for ticks on your body and clothing, on children, and on dogs and other pets, and remove any ticks you find. Watch this video on how to remove ticks 
• If you have a yard at home: trim shrubs, keep grass short and don’t let piles of brush or leaves build up. Don’t leave out food that attracts deer and other wildlife.

• If you find a tick, place it in a clean, dry container, like a plastic bag or vial and send it to a laboratory for testing. 
• Ask a veterinarian for a flea and tick repellent that works best for your pet. 

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