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Get Tick-Ed Off: Prevent Tick Bites

New York City Has Launched a Range of Tick-Bite Prevention Efforts, Including Through Surveillance and Public Education.

In Recent Years, New Species, such as the Gulf Coast and the Asian Longhorned Ticks, Have Been Detected in New York City.

May 13, 2024 — The Health Department urges New Yorkers to protect themselves and their families from tick-borne diseases as summer approaches and people begin to travel and engage in outdoor activities. Ticks carrying disease are found in Staten Island and parts of the Bronx, and are common in the many wooded areas outside of the city, including Long Island, upstate New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other Northeastern states.

The most common tick-borne disease diagnosed among New Yorkers is Lyme disease, followed by anaplasmosis and babesiosis.

“This time of year, New Yorkers can and should spend more time outdoors,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “But enjoyment of nature should come with some simple precautions to prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of tick-borne illness. This includes using an EPA-registered tick repellent and checking your body and your children and pets for ticks after being in wooded or other areas that harbor ticks.”

“As New Yorkers flock to the city’s parks for spring and summer fun, it’s important to remember some easy steps to prevent tick bites,” said NYC Parks Chief of Education & Wildlife Sarah Aucoin. “By wearing light-colored clothing to easily identify ticks, tucking your pants into your socks, and using insect repellent on your clothes and shoes, you can protect yourself from tick-borne diseases. Remember that ticks can be picked up in short grass as well. When hiking in our parks, remember to follow our clearly marked hiking trails, many of them with colored trail markers, and avoid brushing against foliage. By taking these precautions, New Yorkers can safely enjoy all our parks have to offer this outdoor season.”

In 2023, there were 3,323 cases of Lyme disease reported among New York City residents. Of those cases, 2,482 were new diagnoses and the remaining 741 were new, positive results for cases from previous years. In 2022, there were 2,524 reported cases of Lyme disease. Additionally in 2023 there were 77 reports of anaplasmosis and 116 of babesiosis among New Yorkers. Other tick-borne diseases, like ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, and Powassan virus encephalitis, are rare but still occur. In addition to human disease surveillance, the City also monitors and tests tick populations in several locations across the five boroughs.

The New York City Health Department has a wealth of programming designed to monitor the risk of tick-borne disease and education on ways to reduce the risk to New Yorkers, including those spending time outside the city. For example, the Health Department goes to areas where ticks might live and uses a “drag” or a cloth to collect ticks and test them at the Health Department’s Public Health Laboratory for several pathogens. Partner agencies, including the New York City Parks Department, post notices that ticks are present along with recommendations. In recent years, the Health Department detected Asian longhorned and Gulf Coast ticks for the first time, which joined more established species like the blacklegged tick.

Blacklegged, Asian longhorned and Lone star ticks are widely established in Staten Island and northern areas of the Bronx, including Pelham Bay Park and Hunter Island, but not in other areas of New York City. The Gulf Coast tick is in Staten Island. Ticks collected from these areas have tested positive for pathogens that cause tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis in blacklegged ticks and Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis in Gulf Coast ticks. Asian longhorned ticks have not been shown to transmit disease to people in the US. Lone star ticks can spread ehrlichiosis and have also been associated with the emergence of a food allergy to red meat known as alpha-gal syndrome.

A range of factors influence tick populations, including weather and available food for hosts, such as acorns for mice. Climate change is leading to warmer average temperatures resulting in longer warm seasons. Earlier spring, hotter summers and shorter, milder winters provide conditions that influence the number of ticks and where they are found. More ticks in more areas, may lead to more people and animals being bitten and infected with a tick-borne disease.

There is more information about ticks, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, including anaplasmosis, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis, on the Health Department website.

Recommendations to Prevent Tick Bites and Tick-borne Illnesses

  • Reduce your risk at home — if ticks are present, create a tick-safe zone.
    • Know where ticks live — often shady, moist areas at ground level, especially in or at the edges of woods and around old stone walls.
    • Keep grass short and don’t let piles of brush or leaves build up.
    • Trim shrubs and tree branches around your yard to let in more sunlight.
    • Create a barrier to define a tick-safe zone around your yard.
    • Keep playground equipment and outdoor furniture in a sunny location, away from yard edges and trees.
    • Don’t leave out food that attracts deer and other wildlife.
  • Repel, don’t attract, ticks.
    • Use an EPA registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 with a product label indicating it is effective against ticks (not mosquitos only).
    • Permethrin products can be used on clothing or shoes (but not the skin) to repel and kill ticks.
    • Stay in the center of cleared paths and hiking trails when walking in heavily wooded areas.
    • Wear light-colored clothing to see ticks easier.
    • Tuck pants into socks and shirts into pants to prevent ticks from attaching to your skin.
  • After being outdoors in wooded, brushy or tall grass areas:
    • Check for ticks on your body and clothing and remove any ticks you find on yourself, your child or your pet.
    • Young ticks are very small (about the size of a poppy seed), so seek help to inspect areas not easily reachable. Be sure to look carefully in areas of the body where hair is present since it may make it difficult to see the ticks. Adult ticks are about the size of an apple seed.
    • Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors, preferably within two hours.
    • Use hot water when washing clothing to kill ticks. If hot water cannot be used, tumble dry wet or damp clothes on low heat for 70 minutes or high heat for 40 minutes.
    • Place dry clothing in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks. Wet or damp clothing might need more time in the dryer.
    • If you get a rash or a fever, let the doctor know if you may have been exposed to ticks, even if you don't remember having a tick bite.
  • Pets
    • Ask your veterinarian which flea and tick repellents are best to use on your pet. Repellents help protect your pets from tick-borne diseases, and also protect pet owners, as ticks can travel into the home on dogs, cats, and other pets.
    • Dogs, and less often cats, can also get sick from ticks. If you think your dog may have been bitten by a tick and you see changes in your dog’s behavior or appetite, speak with your veterinarian.

Additional Resources

More Information

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