A worse tick season for MI in 2024? Hundreds of ER visits so far

Due to another warm winter, tick season has seen an uptick (pun intended) in Michigan. Before we get into the numbers, let's jump into what you can do to prevent ticks in your yard.

Preventing tick bites

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), there are over 20 tick species in Michigan. Ticks can be active anytime when the temperature is above 40 degrees, but they are the most active between April and September.

The most common ticks are as followed:

• American Dog tick
• Blacklegged tick
• Lone Star tick
• Woodchuck tick
• Brown dog tick

You can avoid ticks by staying on well-groomed trails and avoiding high grass, brush, and fallen leaves.

The MDHHS also suggests the following:

• Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to see

• Perform daily tick checks, including your armpits, scalp, and groin

• Shower soon after coming indoors

• Remove ticks from your clothes before going indoors.

• Don’t forget to check your pets for ticks. Talk with your veterinarian about how to prevent ticks on your pet.

Michigan and Midwest Tick Data

The state of Michigan has released its 2024 Lyme Risk map. Just two counties in the entire state recorded negative tick sampling information. The rest, either have known risk for Lyme or have a potential Lyme risk. Genesse County falls under the latter category.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been tracking Emergency Department visits due to ticks for each region in 2024. 

In 2024, the CDC recorded 416 visits in the Midwest since the beginning of tick season (April), the second highest in tick emergency visits of any region in the US. So far, they've recorded 1,226 nationally, the Northeast leading in ED visits with 516.