CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As summer vastly approaches and as more people plan to spend time outdoors, it’s important to keep one thing in mind– the rise in tickborne illnesses.
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and the Bureau for Public Health reports that while Lyme Disease remains the most common tickborne illness in the Mountain State, there has also been a significant increase in Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis.
State Epidemiologist Shannon McBee told MetroNews that people should always check their bodies for ticks after spending any time outdoors as early detection greatly prevents disease.
“Most tickborne pathogens take hours to transmit and so making sure folks have appropriate protection and they’re doing simple skin checks can be the difference between just pulling a tick off and a serious illness,” McBee said.
A disease that is specifically transmitted by Blacklegged Ticks, McBee said Anaplasmosis cases have risen from 17 in 2023 to a total of 29 last year.
Complications from Anaplasmosis that were reported in 2024 include respiratory failure among 2.9% of patients, organ failure within 6.9%, leukopenia at 24.1%, and thrombocytopenia within 44.8% of cases. Statistics also showed that 62% of cases required hospitalization.
Health professionals say that it may mimic malaria on blood smears, and complications from Babesiosis include heart attacks, which were reported in 12.5% of patients, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome at 25%, 50% saw thrombocytopenia, and anemia at 62.5%. Among this illness, 75% of cases were hospitalized.
McBee said it’s critical people seek immediate medical attention if they feel like they have been bitten. She said most tickborne illnesses are completely preventable if caught in time.
“So, we know where ticks live and how they attach and transmit disease, and so, being educated, protecting yourself with clothing, repellents, and tick checks can help drastically reduce your risks of getting these diseases,” she said.
McBee said most of these tickborne illnesses produce early signs very similar to flu-like symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and muscle aches, so she reminds people to not just dismiss them for some type of seasonal allergy or sickness.
Cabell County Health Department CEO and Health Officer Dr. Michael Kilkenny said that people should seek medical treatment 36 hours after a suspected tick bite.
Kilkenny said tick bites are fairly common.
“If you do go into the woods, you’re probably going to get ticks on you and you should check for those immediately after you get out of the woods and try to remove them as quickly as you get the opportunity,” he said.
Kilkenny said that when you spot a tick on your skin, you need to carefully remove it using either a pair of tweezers or a specific tick remover tool as soon as possible. He said you can kill the tick by placing it in alcohol or by burning it while it’s still on the tweezer.
Kilkenny said they have definitely seen a rise in tick-related illnesses in Cabell County, particularly in Lyme Disease as they have moved west from the northeast.
“We’ve actually seen a peak in Lyme disease cases in 2023 and 2024 at much higher rates than we’ve had before,” he said. “Usually we have seen sporadic cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and a few of the other tickborne diseases, but Lyme Disease here has really been increasing.”
McBee said there are several factors as to why they have been increasing.
She said it mainly has to do with West Virginia’s unique and mountainous geography as well as its temperate climate, which creates suitable conditions for ticks to live.
“We’re seeing a lot of the same ecological shifts as the northern-eastern part of the United States, and so that’s the primary driver for the increase in tickborne illnesses,” she said.
McBee added that with climate change, the state has been experiencing warmer winters, and an expanded habitat for ticks has led to an intensely active season.
She said other factors behind the increase are the fact that health professionals now have an increased awareness and knowledge in these pathogens and tickborne illnesses beyond just Lyme Disease, and more and more cases are being detected and recorded; as well as the simple fact that ever since the Covid-19 Pandemic, they have seen an uprising in people doing more outdoor and recreational activities than ever before.
McBee said why this rise in tickborne illnesses is so concerning now.