| Justin Timberlake’s announcement last week that he was diagnosed with Lyme disease has underscored the spread of ticks in the US. The Northeast has seen the most tick-related emergency room visits in five years, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In June, the area recorded 231 trips per 100,000 ER visits due to tick bites. In May, that number was even higher at 283 visits. Lyme, Connecticut, where the disease was first identified in 1975, is in the Northeast, a perfect habitat for ticks due to its cooler climate and wooded areas. The CDC’s system for monitoring ticks isn’t perfect – not every bug bite requires an emergency visit. And people are generally more aware of the danger these days and more likely to head to the doctor, says Andrew Handel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Medicine in New York. “There’s a lot of anxiety about tick bites and tick infections,” he says. But ticks bites are more widespread thanks to climate change, increasing deer populations (a favorite host for ticks) and human migration into more forested areas, Handel says. So, what should you do if you have a tick bite? “Don’t panic,” Handel says. Use tweezers to lift the tick off your skin and put it in a plastic bag. Head to your primary care physician to identify the tick and any potential illnesses that can come from a bite. And if part of the tick breaks off in your skin, that’s OK. Your body will treat it like a splitter and it will eventually work its way out. But, don’t go digging and potentially make the situation worse. Different species carry different diseases. A deer tick can carry Lyme disease. A lone star tick can carry a disease that can result in red meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome. A dog tick can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Most bites don’t lead to an illness, but it’s important to monitor for symptoms, like an early onset rash or fever. Early diagnoses of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever can be treated with antibiotics, according to the CDC. Personally, I’ll be using some heavy-duty bug spray for the rest of summer to protect against ticks. — Jessica Nix | 
