How many people have been affected by ticks? - briefly
Approximately one billion individuals worldwide experience tick bites annually, and around ten million develop a tick‑borne illness. These figures reflect reported cases and estimates from health agencies.
How many people have been affected by ticks? - in detail
Ticks transmit a variety of pathogens that cause measurable morbidity in humans across continents. Surveillance data from health agencies reveal that the cumulative number of individuals experiencing tick‑associated illness exceeds one million annually.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates roughly 476 000 cases of Lyme disease each year, based on reported infections and adjustments for under‑diagnosis. Rocky Mountain spotted fever accounts for about 5 000 confirmed cases annually, while ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis together contribute another 5 000–6 000 reported infections.
European nations report tens of thousands of Lyme disease cases, with the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands each documenting between 5 000 and 20 000 infections per year. Tick‑borne encephalitis, prevalent in central and eastern Europe and parts of Russia, produces an estimated 10 000–12 000 clinical cases annually.
Additional tick‑borne diseases add to the overall burden:
- Babesiosis: 2 000–2 500 cases reported in the United States; sporadic cases elsewhere.
- Tularemia: 2 000–3 000 cases worldwide, with higher incidence in parts of Asia and the Balkans.
- Rickettsial infections (other than Rocky Mountain spotted fever): 3 000–4 000 cases globally.
- Crimean‑Congo hemorrhagic fever: 2 000–3 000 human infections each year, primarily in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
When aggregated, these figures indicate that more than one million people are diagnosed with a tick‑borne illness each year, and the true number is likely higher due to under‑reporting and limited diagnostic capacity in many regions.