MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — With tick bite-related hospitalizations reaching record numbers, parents in Morris County are urging health officials to take action.
According to the CDC, tick-related emergency room visits are at their highest level in a decade. Morris County, in particular, has been known for its high tick populations, specifically deer ticks carrying Lyme Disease.
One Morris County mother on social media said she’d pulled five ticks off her children by mid-April, calling that “not normal,” but a “warning.”
Shared in the post is a Change.org petition directed to Dr. Carlos Perez, Jr. of the Morris County Division of Public Health, Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen, and the Morris County Division of Mosquito Control.
The petition, created by Morris County resident Rebecca Koar, calls for county officials to take further action in tick and insect prevention this year. Petitioners clarified that they are grateful for Morris County Division of Mosquito Control’s several bug-spraying and educational programs, but say more needs to be done.
“This petition is not a criticism of what the county is doing,” it reads. “It is a respectful ask to step up the resources, scale, and urgency of the existing program this year, because the data shows that the tick population surge of 2026 is measurably beyond what a normal season requires.”
Currently, the Morris County Division of Mosquito Control conducts seasonal spraying in areas with high insect and tick populations. In addition to offering several educational materials on ticks and mosquitoes, the division also responds to service requests for yard inspections, bug surveillance, and targeted spraying when warranted.
Furthermore, what petitioners are seeking is for county officials to deem the surge in tick bites as a public health risk and allocate resources to combat it.
The petition has garnered nearly 100 signatures as of Friday morning. Patch has reached out to representatives of the Morris County Division of Public Health, who were not immediately available for response.
The Surge
For every 100,000 ER visits in New Jersey, 13 were for tick-related complaints, according to data updated on April 12. The Northeast is seeing the most tick bite visits, followed by the Midwest, Southwest, West, and South Central regions, respectively.
Related: ER Visits For Tick Bites At Highest Level In A Decade: What To Know In NJ
Nationally, ER visits to treat tick bites are at their highest level in almost a decade, with 71 per 100,000 trips to the ER, compared to an average of about 30 per 100,000 at this time of year.
One reason for the early spike in tick populations is credited to the brutal winter. While it seems contradictory, the heavy and stubborn-to-melt snow Morris County experienced these last few months acted as an insulating blanket that helped many insects and arachnids survive the winter. These snow blankets protect bugs, larvae, and eggs from extreme cold and freezing air, keeping soil temperatures warmer than the air above, experts say.
The Risk
Ticks carry a plethora of diseases. According to the CDC, these blood-sucking arachnids are responsible for 90 percent of all vector-borne diseases.
They include Lyme disease, typical in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions; Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a problem nationwide; anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, which are common in the eastern and southern U.S.; Powassan virus, common in the Northeast and Great Lakes region; and babesiosis, primarily found in the Northeast and upper Midwest.
Ticks are also responsible for Alpha-gal syndrome, which causes a sudden and unexpected allergic reaction to meat and dairy products. The vector is carried by the Lone Star tick, which is widely distributed throughout eastern states and is expanding in the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Midwest.
Researchers have identified the first known death tied to the condition in a New Jersey man who experienced a fatal allergic reaction after eating red meat in 2024, NPR reported. The case has drawn attention to the syndrome as public health officials track its spread.
The findings, published in the “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology” in November 2025 by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, describe a 47-year-old New Jersey airplane pilot who became ill about four hours after eating a hamburger at a 2024 barbecue.
According to the report, the man’s son later found him unconscious on a bathroom floor and surrounded by vomit. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The autopsy listed the cause as a “sudden unexplained death.”
"Tick season is here, and these tiny biters can make you seriously sick. The good news is you have options to help prevent tick bites when you spend time outdoors: You can wear EPA-registered bug repellent and permethrin-treated clothing, do tick checks, and remove attached ticks as quickly as possible," says Alison Hinckley, PhD, epidemiologist and Lyme disease expert with CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. "These simple steps can go a long way in protecting you and your family from diseases spread by ticks. And if you develop a rash or fever in the days to weeks after a bite, or after being in an area with ticks, seek medical care promptly."
Prevention
To prevent tick bites, the CDC advises:
Know where ticks live. Ticks hang out in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas—and even your backyard.
Avoid high-risk areas. Skip tall grass, leaf litter, and dense brush when possible—and walk in the center of trails.
Use insect repellent. Apply EPA-registered repellents with ingredients like DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Treat your clothes and gear. Use products with 0.5 percent permethrin on clothing, boots, and camping gear — or buy pre-treated items.
Dress to protect. Wear long sleeves and pants when possible to reduce exposed skin.
Check your clothes after being outside. Ticks can hitch a ride indoors—remove them and tumble dry clothes on high heat to kill any hidden ones.
Shower soon after coming inside. Showering within two hours can help wash off ticks and reduce disease risk.
Do a full-body tick check. Look carefully in hidden spots like:
Check pets and gear. Ticks can ride in on dogs, backpacks, and clothing—inspect everything after outdoor time.
Make your yard less tick-friendly. Reduce tick habitat by:
— With reporting from Sarah Salvadore
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