New Jersey health officials are sounding the alarm as emergency room visits for tick bites have surged by 27% compared to the same period last year. According to the latest data from the New Jersey Department of Health and the CDC, there have been 169 emergency room visits for tick-related issues so far in 2026, up from 133 visits during the same window in 2025.
The spike comes as the Northeast enters what experts predict will be a severely active tick season, driven by a combination of mostly mild winter temperatures and an expanding population of blacklegged ticks.
The rise in hospital visits follows a record-setting 2025, during which national tick-related emergency room visits reached their highest levels since 2019. In New Jersey, the trend is particularly pronounced as surveillance shows that the blacklegged tick, the primary carrier of Lyme disease, remains active statewide. However, health officials are also tracking the northward expansion of the Lone Star tick, which was historically confined to the southern and coastal regions of the state but is now a growing concern for residents in central and northern counties.
Environmental and biological factors are converging to create a difficult situation for New Jersey residents this year. Milder winters have allowed more ticks to survive the colder months, leading to an earlier emergence in the spring, while increasing suburban development has placed more people in close contact with wooded “edge” habitats where ticks thrive.
Recent studies by Rutgers University’s “NJ Ticks for Science” program suggest a high percentage of local ticks carry at least one pathogen, including the bacteria for Lyme disease and the parasite for babesiosis. While the increase is being felt across the state, Ocean County has reported some of the highest rates of tick-borne illnesses, with over 570 cases of Lyme disease reported recently, followed closely by high incidence rates in Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties.
Health officials urge residents to take precautions when spending time outdoors, noting that nymphal ticks, which are the size of a poppy seed, are currently active and notoriously difficult to spot. Protective measures include applying products containing at least 20% DEET or using permethrin-treated clothing, as well as performing full-body checks on children and pets immediately after returning from wooded or grassy areas. Experts also recommend showering within two hours of coming indoors to wash off unattached ticks.
If a resident finds an attached tick, they should remove it immediately with fine-tipped tweezers and monitor the site for several weeks, seeking medical attention if they experience a “bull’s-eye” rash, sudden fever, chills, or persistent joint aches.
