Tick-bite emergency room visits in Georgia and across most of the country are at their highest April rate since 2017, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, the federal public health agency) logging 104 visits per 100,000 emergency department encounters last month, up from 68 in April 2025. The Georgia Department of Public Health has counted more than 323 tick-borne illnesses across its five reportable categories between 2020 and 2024, and entomologists say a decade of milder winters and expanding deer and mouse populations is now feeding the busiest spring on record.
State residents face four to five more months inside the bite window. That window decides who lands in the 2026 disease column.
ER Visits Hit a Nine-Year High
The CDC’s national tick-bite tracker shows weekly ER visits running ahead of historic averages in every U.S. region except the South Central states. April’s national rate of 104 per 100,000 was a 53% jump over the same month last year. The Northeast led the surge with a 40% year-over-year increase.
Tick season is here and these tiny biters can make you seriously sick.
That came from Alison Hinckley, an epidemiologist and Lyme disease specialist at the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, who urged the public to wear EPA-registered repellent, treat clothing with permethrin, and check skin after time outdoors.
Independent lab data points the same way. The Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab at East Stroudsburg University has tested 55% more ticks submitted by the public this year than in the same window of 2025, a signal that bite encounters, not just reporting habits, are up.
- 104 tick-bite ER visits per 100,000 in April, up from 68 a year earlier.
- 9 years since the country last saw a spring this active.
- 55% more ticks submitted to Pennsylvania’s largest testing lab so far this year.
- 323+ tick-borne illnesses reported in Georgia between 2020 and 2024.
Why a Warmer Decade Set Up This Spring
Mild winters since the mid-2010s have lifted tick overwinter survival rates and pushed nymphs into earlier emergence each spring. The animals ticks rely on for blood meals have done well too. White-footed mice, the main reservoir host for Lyme disease, benefit from acorn-heavy years and the thinning of small predators in suburban tree cover.
Georgia’s deer herd has held near record levels for most of the past decade, sustaining the adult-stage feeders that produce the next generation of eggs. Growing suburban edge habitats, where lawns meet woods, give ticks the corridor and the host density they need to keep climbing.
Researchers at Emory University have been tracking the consequences in real time. A team led by Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, a professor of environmental sciences, published mapping work on the Lone Star tick’s Georgia distribution in the journal Parasites & Vectors. His lab is now studying Heartland virus transmission through field surveys of ticks and small mammals.
The pattern is regional. Several Southeast states report vector-borne disease risk expanding outward into counties that did not historically log meaningful tick activity, driven by warmer temperatures, increased pet travel, and changing land use.
The Three Species That Bite Humans in Georgia
The state hosts more than 20 tick species, but only three account for the bulk of human bites. UGA Integrated Pest Management calls them “one of the most important groups of arthropods in Georgia because of their disease-transmitting capabilities.”
| Species | Identifying Marks | Diseases Most Commonly Transmitted |
|---|---|---|
| Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) | Long mouthparts; female has a single white spot on her back | Ehrlichiosis, STARI, Heartland virus, Alpha-Gal Syndrome |
| American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) | Shorter mouthparts; diffuse white markings on the back | Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tularemia |
| Black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) | Smallest of the three; no white markings | Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus |
UGA Extension entomologists describe the Lone Star tick as the most common biter in the state. It is also the most aggressive in seeking out hosts, and it carries the pathogen behind the fastest-rising concern on the Georgia list.
The Disease Ledger and the Alpha-Gal Wild Card
Georgia’s confirmed case counts from 2020 to 2024 paint a clear hierarchy of risk, with bacterial infections dominating the recent ledger.
What the State Has Confirmed
- 143 Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis cases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
- 130 Lyme disease cases.
- 50 combined ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis cases.
Beyond those confirmed counts, the state tracks an emerging-disease watch list that adds babesiosis, Powassan virus, Heartland virus, and Bourbon virus. None of those four has produced a large Georgia caseload yet, but each is showing up in surveillance traps with greater frequency.
The Allergy That Follows a Lone Star Bite
Alpha-Gal Syndrome is the diagnosis most likely to change a Georgian’s life. The condition turns a person allergic to red meat and other mammalian products after the immune system reacts to a sugar molecule transferred during the bite. The CDC’s case overview identified more than 110,000 suspected U.S. cases between 2010 and 2022, and federal scientists estimate as many as 450,000 Americans may carry it without a formal diagnosis. Symptoms include hives, rash, nausea, and trouble breathing.
The first U.S. death linked to the syndrome was reported in New Jersey last year. Massachusetts began requiring clinicians to report cases starting April 1, 2026, and clinicians in Long Island’s Suffolk County have flagged an unexpected hotspot well north of the syndrome’s traditional range.
Building a Personal Defense Before Going Outside
Plain prevention is the cheapest gap between a label and an ER bill. The CDC’s standing recommendations have not changed in years, and they still close most of the exposure window when used together.
Repellents Worth Buying
DEET (the chemical compound N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) tested between 85% and 89% effective at repelling ticks in field trials, with 25% to 30% concentration the workhorse for skin. Picaridin matches DEET’s tick effectiveness at similar concentrations without dissolving plastics or staining fabric. Permethrin, a contact insecticide, kills ticks on treated clothing and gear; it is for fabric, never bare skin, and a single treatment lasts through several washes.
The Outdoor Habit Checklist
- Wear long pants and long sleeves in light colors so ticks are easier to spot.
- Tuck pants into socks and shirts into waistbands to block crawl-up routes.
- Spray clothing and gear with permethrin and let it dry fully before wearing.
- Apply DEET or picaridin on exposed skin.
- Check yourself, your kids, and your pets at least twice during the day and again before bed.
- Shower within two hours of coming inside; warm water and a washcloth dislodge unattached ticks.
- Run worn clothing through a hot dryer for 10 minutes; the heat, not the wash, kills the hitchhikers.
After a Bite: Removal, Watch, Doctor
Speed is the variable that decides most outcomes. Removing an attached black-legged tick within 24 hours significantly lowers the risk of Lyme disease transmission, because the pathogen needs time inside the bite to migrate from the tick’s gut into a host.
Each life-cycle stage requires one blood meal before the tick drops off and lays eggs. Interrupting that meal is the point of every removal step that follows.
How to Remove a Tick
- Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers.
- Grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure.
- Avoid twisting or jerking, which can break off mouthparts.
- Clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Skip the folk remedies. Petroleum jelly, nail polish, and a lit match all fail in clinical tests and can make a bite worse by agitating the tick into regurgitating into the wound.
When to Call a Doctor
Watch the bite for one to four weeks. Fever, rash, fatigue, muscle ache, and flu-like symptoms are the standard early warning. The classic Lyme bullseye rash appears in roughly 70% to 80% of confirmed cases, but its absence does not rule out the disease. Georgia residents who want a species ID before calling a clinician can submit a photo through the Georgia Tick ID Program at no charge, hosted by the Georgia Department of Public Health’s tick-borne disease program. The bite window closes around the first hard frost. What residents do between now and then decides whether the state’s next five-year tally tops the 323 cases that defined the last one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does Tick Season Last in Georgia?
Tick activity peaks between early spring and late fall in Georgia, with the heaviest bite risk running roughly April through October. Adult Lone Star and black-legged ticks can stay active during mild winter stretches, so total elimination of risk between November and March is not safe to assume.
Can I Get Lyme Disease in Georgia?
Yes. The Georgia Department of Public Health logged 130 Lyme disease cases between 2020 and 2024. The blacklegged tick that carries Lyme is established in the state, though cases remain less common than in the Northeast.
Does Alpha-Gal Syndrome Go Away?
Some people regain tolerance to red meat over months or years if they avoid further bites from the species that triggered the reaction. Others stay allergic for life. Repeat bites tend to intensify and prolong the response.
Are There Ticks in My Backyard?
Probably yes if the yard borders woods, has tall grass, or sees deer traffic. Keep grass mowed short, clear leaf litter promptly, and consider a three-foot wood-chip border between lawn and wooded edges to reduce tick migration.
Should I Save the Tick After Removing It?
Yes. Seal it in a plastic bag or piece of clear tape and keep it for at least 30 days. Identification helps a clinician choose testing if symptoms appear, and the Georgia Tick ID Program will examine submitted photos for free.
Are Repellents Safe for Children and Pets?
DEET at concentrations up to 30% is approved for children older than two months, and picaridin is generally considered the gentler option. Pets should use veterinarian-recommended preventives only. Never apply human DEET products to dogs or cats, and never use permethrin on cats under any concentration.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Tick-borne illness symptoms and treatment require evaluation by a licensed clinician; readers who suspect exposure should contact a healthcare provider promptly. Figures cited are accurate as of publication.
