Michigan is facing a significant surge in Lyme disease cases, with a whopping 168% increase reported over the last five years. The state has seen over 1,200 cases of the tick-borne illness in 2024 alone. To combat this growing concern, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is urging residents to take precautions when spending time outdoors.
According to Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s chief medical executive, preventing tick bites is the best way to prevent tick-borne diseases. If a tick is found attached to the body, it should be removed promptly with tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Early symptoms of Lyme disease may include fever, rash, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches, often appearing within two weeks of a tick bite.
Early treatment with antibiotics can greatly reduce the risk of serious complications like neurological and heart problems. The MDHHS recommends avoiding overgrown grass, brush, and leaf litter at trail edges, using EPA-registered insect repellent on exposed skin, and treating clothing with permethrin – which kills ticks on contact. However, permethrin should not be applied directly to the skin.
Residents are also advised to perform a tick check on themselves and their animals after being outdoors, and to remove attached ticks promptly. In addition to Lyme disease, Michigan has reported 82 cases of anaplasmosis in 2024, with numbers increasing from 17 cases in 2020. For more information, visit michigan.gov/lyme or cdc.gov/lyme.
Source: https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/05/lyme-disease-cases-in-michigan-surge-168-prompting-warning.html