As tick season carries into the fall, state health commissioner Dr. James McDonald is warning Long Islanders of the severity of the issue.
In 2024, Suffolk County led the state in Lyme disease cases by over 3,000, according to health department data. Now, cases outside New York City have reached approximately 22,000.
“The ticks are winning. There are a lot more ticks than us. We are their food source, and I think we really are in a time where we have to think differently about ticks,” McDonald said at a news conference Tuesday at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center and Clinic. “They're no longer just a nuisance, but ticks really are a rising threat.”
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can, in extreme cases, cause arthritis, neck stiffness, facial palsy, and swelling of the brain and spinal cord.
Children aged five to nine have the highest and most consistent rate of Lyme disease of any age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Ticks generally have closer access to them due to their close proximity to the ground and prolonged time spent outdoors.
“As our children head back to the classroom and summer winds down, it is a dangerous misconception that the tick risks disappear,” said Dr. Andrew Handel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.
Aside from Lyme disease, alpha-gal and other tick-borne allergies are also a cause for concern, according to doctors.
“The other thing to think about is we really do see the rise of a different type of disease from ticks, which is the rise of alpha-gal,” McDonald said. “It's transmitted from the Lone Star tick, often through saliva. But it really is an allergy to red meat, and this tick-borne allergy is a concern.”
McDonald advised personal vigilance to protect against the rise in tick-borne diseases. This includes checking people and pets from head to toe for ticks, and applying insect repellent to the skin and to clothing.
“You know my message is not to be afraid of the outdoors, but to be prepared for the outdoors,” he said. “So that's why we use insect repellent. That's why we dress appropriately.”
