Did Your Urgent Care Center See More Tick-Related Visits Last Year? You’re Not Alone

Using pooled data from state and local health departments across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 2017 saw a record number of medical visits due to tick-borne disease in the United States. Including cases of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis/ehrlichiosis, spotted fever rickettsiosis (including Rocky Mountain spotted fever), babesiosis, tularemia, and Powassan virus disease, there were 59,349 visits last year—a 22% increase from 2016. The CDC noted that there were probably far more cases than that, citing the likelihood of under-reporting to health agencies. It offered no explanation for the steep increase. Given that patients who notice an embedded tick, especially when accompanied by symptoms, are likely in a hurry to get checked out by a doctor, urgent care has been shown to be a preferred site for care. JUCM covered such visits in Urgent Care Diagnosis and Management of Tick-Borne Diseases, which is now available in our archive.