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KosAbility: Ticks and TBDs increasing while a new vaccine offers hope for those who will use it
Daily Kos • • health
Key Points:
- Emergency room visits for tick bites in the U.S. have surged to the highest levels seen in nearly a decade, with the Northeast and Midwest regions particularly affected, signaling a potentially severe tick season ahead.
- Powassan virus, a once-rare tick-borne disease, is now spreading more widely in New England and the Upper Midwest through blacklegged (deer) ticks, with 76 diagnosed cases in 2025 and a high fatality rate among symptomatic patients.
- Approximately 31 million Americans are bitten by ticks annually, increasing exposure to various tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and alpha-gal-triggered red meat allergy.
- Pfizer and Valneva plan to seek regulatory approval for a new Lyme disease vaccine that showed about 75% effectiveness in trials, offering potential future protection amid rising tick-borne disease risks.
