Riskiest Towns For Ticks In Morris County: A Breakdown

highest level in a decade

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — With tick bite-related hospitalizations reaching record numbers, a new online tool allows residents to monitor their town's risk for ticks and tick-borne illnesses.

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TickZone gives users the ability to learn how at-risk they are for tick bites, what kind of ticks are common in the area, what diseases they may carry, and how to best prevent getting bitten.

In April, the CDC reported that tick-related emergency room visits were 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.

Related: Tick Concerns Prompt Morris County Parents To Take Action

TickZone, created by Nathan Burnett, analyzes several factors and gives each town a score between 0 and 100 for tick risk. Updated each morning, each score is labeled Low (0-33), Moderate (34-66), or High (67 to 100).

The scores are calculated using these five signals:

• Current weather
• Each tick's seasonal activity
• Forest, edge, and open cover
• Deer-tick disease rate
• Which ticks live here, and severity

Burnett, who grew up in the Northeast, says ticks had always been "just part of life." It was when his brother contracted Lyme disease that things changed.

"He was lucky. We caught it early and antibiotics cleared it, but a lot of families are not that lucky, and the difference almost always comes down to awareness. That stuck with me," Burnett told Patch. "The frustrating part is that tick risk is intensely local; it can change street to street and week to week, and yet most people have no way to know when it is spiking where they live.

"I built TickZone to close that gap, a simple daily read on the risk in your own town, so people can take a few easy precautions before a bite instead of finding out the hard way," he continued. "If it helps one family catch something early the way mine did, it is worth it."

In addition to analyzing tick risks, TickZone also provides resources for people to learn about tick and insect prevention services in their area.

Morris County's Thursday morning report shows an overwhelmingly high risk for tick bites, with 37 of 39 towns showing a "high risk" score.

See a town-by-town breakdown of tick risks in Morris County below, with each town's score (data collected from Thursday, July 9):

• Boonton: 72 (high risk)
• Boonton Twp.: 83 (high risk)
• Butler Borough: 71 (high risk)
• Chatham Twp.: 83 (high risk)
• Chatham Borough: 81 (high risk)
• Chester Borough: 75 (high risk)
• Chester Twp.: 82 (high risk)
• Dover: 65 (moderate risk)
• Denville: 81 (high risk)
• East Hanover: 75 (high risk)
• Hanover: 75 (high risk)
• Florham Park Borough: 75 (high risk)
• Jefferson: 85 (high risk)
• Lincoln Park: 80 (high risk)
• Harding Twp.: 81 (high risk)
• Kinnelon Borough: 83 (high risk)
• Long Hill: 83 (high risk)
• Madison: 78 (high risk)
• Mendham Twp.: 83 (high risk)
• Mendham Borough: 80 (high risk)
• Montville Twp.: 81 (high risk)
• Mt. Arlington: 82 (high risk)
• Parsippany: 75 (high risk)
• Mine Hill: 81 (high risk)
• Morris Plains: 78 (high risk)
• Morris Township: 80 (high risk)
• Morristown: 70 (high risk)
• Mount Olive: 80 (high risk)
• Netcong: 72 (high risk)
• Randolph: 83 (high risk)
• Pequannock: 70 (high risk)
• Riverdale: 66 (moderate risk)
• Rockaway Twp: 83 (high risk)
• Rockaway Borough: 76 (high risk)
• Roxbury: 82 (high risk)
• Washington Twp.: 78 (high risk)
• Victory Gardens: 72 (high risk)
• Wharton Borough: 75 (high risk)

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TickZone provides free tick forecasts daily for more than 12,000 towns across 26 states, including 564 in New Jersey. Click here to learn more about the tool.