How many people have become ill from a tick bite? - briefly
Approximately 30,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, and globally, health agencies estimate several hundred thousand cases of tick‑borne illnesses annually. These figures represent individuals who develop symptoms after a tick attachment.
How many people have become ill from a tick bite? - in detail
Tick‑borne illnesses affect millions worldwide each year. The most frequently reported condition is Lyme disease, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates causes approximately 476 000 new infections annually in the United States. In Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) records roughly 85 000 cases of Lyme borreliosis per year across the continent.
Other notable tick‑transmitted diseases include:
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever: about 7 000 reported cases in the United States each year, with a fatality rate near 5 %.
- Anaplasmosis: roughly 5 000 cases annually in the United States.
- Babesiosis: close to 2 000 cases per year in the United States, primarily in the Northeast and Midwest.
- Tick‑borne encephalitis: an average of 3 000–4 000 cases per year in Europe and Asia.
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that tick‑borne diseases cause between 1 and 2 million symptomatic infections annually, with Lyme disease accounting for the majority. The incidence varies by region, climate, and tick species distribution. In areas where Ixodes ticks are prevalent, seroprevalence studies reveal that up to 10 % of the population may have been exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi at some point in their lives.
These figures illustrate the substantial public‑health burden posed by pathogens transmitted through tick bites, underscoring the need for surveillance, preventive measures, and timely diagnosis.