Beware—and Be Prepared: Tick-Borne Diseases Are on the Rise

Weekend hikers will soon be joined on the trail by vacationing families and campers—upping the potential for tick bites and associated disease exponentially as the warm weather weeks wear on. Unfortunately, if recent years are any indication, we can expect to see more cases of tick-borne disease than ever; they’ve risen steadily over the past several years. Notably, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a marked increase in spotted fever rickettsiosis, which includes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. More than 6,200 cases were reported in 2017—compared with less than 500 cases as recently as 2000. Similarly, cases of Lyme disease have more than tripled since 2000. JUCM recently updated a comprehensive article on such cases; you can read Urgent Care Diagnosis and Management of Tick-Borne Diseases here.