The ticks are winning
Vox · 2026-07-24
Tick-borne diseases are escalating exponentially, driven by warmer winters that extend tick activity and spread species into new regions. Experts note that 90% of vector-borne illnesses in the US originate from tick bites, yet only 10-11% of local health agencies engage in tick control, with 80% of vector control efforts focused on mosquitoes. This disparity persists despite the severity of tick-borne diseases, exemplified by the 2024 death of Brian Weitzel from Alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy induced by a lone star tick bite. Lyme disease, the most common, affects approximately 500,000 Americans annually, with cases more than doubling in the last decade, primarily from black-legged ticks. The lack of proactive public health strategies to combat this growing threat forces individuals to rely on personal vigilance like daily tick checks and permethrin spray.
*The full article also explores expert-backed, but underfunded, solutions like deer population management and the development of anti-tick vaccines for animal hosts, contrasting them with current, insufficient public health approaches.*