Lone Star Tick Turns Up in 1 Midtown Manhattan Bed as Urban Tick Risks Spread

1 articles · Updated · Slate · Aug 6

A blood-fed lone star tick was found crawling across a bed in a fourth-floor Midtown Manhattan apartment, despite the residents having no dog and little recent exposure to parks or woods.
Studies cited in the report say ticks have been recorded in New York City since at least the 1970s, but climate change and environmental disturbance are pushing them deeper into dense urban areas.
CDC data released earlier this year showed ER visits for tick bites at their highest levels on record in almost every U.S. region since 2017, underscoring a broader rise in exposure.
Lyme disease still accounts for more than 80% of tick-borne illnesses, with about 476,000 Americans treated annually, but doctors warn ticks can carry multiple pathogens, including alpha-gal and the rare Bourbon virus.
With few human vaccines available—aside from one for tick-borne encephalitis in parts of Europe and Asia—experts say awareness, protective clothing, repellents and prompt checks remain the main defenses.