Yes, tick-borne diseases have been rising in urban and suburban areas, not just rural ones, as ticks expand their range into city parks, preserves, and green spaces and more people encounter them there.
Most people don’t associate ticks with the city. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a tick in the middle of Chicago. Here’s what you need to know.
First, ticks themselves are spreading. Blacklegged tick populations have expanded steadily across the Upper Midwest and into new areas, moving into the wooded and grassy green spaces that cities and suburbs contain, helped along by wildlife hosts and by birds dropping ticks as they migrate. Where the ticks go, the pathogens they carry follow. An increase in local cases typically follows the arrival of established tick populations.
Second, more people are being exposed. Suburban development pushes neighborhoods up against wooded and brushy areas, and city residents use parks, forest preserves, and trails heavily for recreation. That, plus ticks in the green spaces and lots of people spending time in them, adds up to more bites and more infections where you wouldn’t expect them to be.
There's also an innocent reason why tick-borne diseases are becoming more common in cities. Layered on top of the very real increase is an increase in awareness. More cases really are happening, but an even higher proportion of cases are being reported. This is good, because it means people are taking care of their health.
In Chicago, that means the forest preserves, lakefront, and parks are all places where you can pick up ticks and catch a tick-borne illness. It’s real and it’s something to watch out for. The reassuring part is that you can take action, namely by using tick repellents and doing tick checks after spending time in areas where ticks are likely to be found.
If you're tired of assuming your neighborhood is too urban for ticks to matter, Mosquito Squad of Chicago can help. Mosquito Squad treats the shaded, brushy zones where ticks gather. This can help you to protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
