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Emergency department (ED) visits for tick bites are surging nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of April 19, 2026, CDC recorded 85 per 100,000 ED visits were due to tick bites—more than double what is typically expected at this time of year. In Maryland, ExpressCare Urgent Care Centers are seeing an uptick in bites with 160 cases so far that were ultimately treated for Lyme disease, according to local WBAL TV news reports. May is usually the peak month for ED visits for tick bites, and the current surge could be a result of earlier spring temperatures and hotter summers in recent years, which allow ticks an earlier and longer breeding season. The Northeastern United States region is reporting the most visits for tick bites, according to CDC data.
More reports, more awareness: Some of the increase in visits could also be attributed to greater public awareness of the risks associated with tick bites, including Lyme disease. Additionally, CDC updated its national surveillance case definition for Lyme disease in 2022 to make reporting easier, which is similarly driving a recent increase in reported cases of Lyme disease since the update. Health departments are no longer required to collect clinical information to classify each case of Lyme disease and instead can report totals based on the number of people who have confirmatory lab testing. See urgent-care specific data from the JUCM archive: Northeast Leads in Lyme-Related Diagnoses in Urgent Care