Tick activity is a major concern this season. CDC reported that weekly emergency-department visits for tick bites were higher than usual in 2026. Ticks are generally most active during the warmer months—especially April through September—but exposure can occur at any time of year.
Use an EPA-registered insect repellent as directed. Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin, or purchase pretreated clothing. Wear long sleeves, long pants, closed shoes, and light-colored clothing when practical.
Ticks commonly live in wooded, brushy, grassy, and leaf-covered areas. Walk in the center of trails and avoid brushing against tall grass or dense vegetation.
Check the entire body, including the scalp, hairline, ears, underarms, waist, groin, behind the knees, and between the legs. Carefully inspect children, pets, clothing, backpacks, and outdoor gear.
Shower soon after returning indoors. Tumble-dry clothing on high heat when appropriate; washing alone may not kill ticks. Follow garment-care instructions.
Do not burn the tick, cover it with petroleum jelly or nail polish, or use other methods intended to make it detach. Prompt mechanical removal with tweezers is preferred.
May cause fever, severe headache, muscle pain, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, and rash. The rash may appear late or may be absent. RMSF can become life-threatening quickly, so early medical evaluation and treatment are critical.
Symptoms often begin within one to two weeks and may include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes rash. Many patients do not remember a tick bite.
Possible symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and an expanding rash. The rash does not always look like a classic “bull's-eye,” and some patients have no recognized rash.
A tick bite can trigger a potentially serious allergy to alpha-gal, a sugar found in mammalian meat and some mammal-derived products. Reactions may be delayed for several hours after eating and can include hives, swelling, stomach symptoms, breathing difficulty, or anaphylaxis.
Call promptly if you develop fever, rash, severe headache, marked fatigue, muscle or joint pain, facial weakness, palpitations, shortness of breath, or other new illness within days to weeks after a tick bite or after spending time in tick habitat. Tell the clinician when and where the exposure occurred. Seek emergency care for trouble breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, or other signs of a serious allergic reaction or severe illness.
Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on ticks, tick-bite removal, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, and alpha-gal syndrome. This information is educational and does not replace an individual medical evaluation.
