The most common — and scariest — signs you’ve got a tick bite

Warning: This story might seriously tick you off.

Nearly 31 million Americans are bitten every year by tiny, blood-sucking parasites — and 2025 is no different.

Emergency room visits for tick bites are surging nationwide, with July numbers hitting their highest point since 2017, according to the CDC’s Tick Bite Data Tracker.

The Northeast is getting hit the hardest, with the Fordham University Tick Index currently placing New York City in its “Red Zone.”

With Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses already on the rise, experts are urging residents to exercise “extreme caution” when spending time outdoors.

To learn more, The Post spoke with Dr. Sindhu Aderson, an immediate care physician at Northwestern Medicine, about how to spot tick bites and, more importantly, prevent them altogether.

Where are ticks hiding? It’s not just the woods

Ticks may look like insects, but they are actually arachnids, closely related to spiders. These tiny parasites vary in color from light to dark brown and are usually no larger than an apple seed.

They live across the United States, and they are not limited to forests or rural areas.

“Ticks can be found in well-maintained suburban lawns, vegetation bordering roads or fields, debris piles, and even in and around homes, especially where pets may bring ticks indoors,” Anderson said.

Backyards and local parks are also common hot spots, particularly during the warmer months.

Aderson noted that aside from camping and hiking in the woods, people often come into contact with ticks while gardening, walking their dogs, golfing or doing outdoor work such as landscaping, farming or forestry.

Where do ticks typically bite?

Ticks like to hide in warm, moist areas on the body.

Aderson said the most common targets are the scalp, around or inside the ears, stomach, groin, armpits and the backs of the knees.

She also pointed out that people often get bitten underneath their socks and along the beltline — places where ticks can easily go unnoticed.

How can you tell if you’ve been bitten?

Many tick bites fly under the radar. But one key warning sign is a skin rash called “erythema migrans,” Aderson said.

It typically begins as a red spot near the bite and gradually spreads outward like a bull’s-eye or target over several days or weeks. Sometimes, though, it appears as a solid red patch or takes on different shapes and colors.

More than 70% of people with Lyme disease get the rash, though it can also appear without the bacterial infection ticks often carry.

Other common symptoms of a tick bite include sudden fever, chills, fatigue, headache and muscle or joint pain.

“Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain may also occur, but are less common in the early phase,” Aderson added.

How bad can tick bites get?

Let’s just say — you definitely want to avoid them.

Ticks can spread serious illnesses like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and babesiosis. They can also trigger allergic reactions ranging from mild itching to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Aderson warned about one of the scariest outcomes: meningoencephalitis, a rare but potentially deadly inflammation of the brain and its lining.

Symptoms of the condition include fever, headache, stiff neck, light sensitivity, confusion, seizures and even coma. Left untreated, it can cause permanent brain damage or death.

Aderson said tick bites can also lead to:

• Myocarditis with heart block: Inflammation of the heart muscle that disrupts its electrical system, causing a slow or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, fainting and, in severe cases, heart failure.
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome: Rapid inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs, leading to dangerously low oxygen levels in the blood.
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation: A disorder where tiny blood clots form throughout the body, blocking blood flow and causing both excessive clotting and bleeding, which can damage organs.
• Tick paralysis: Muscle weakness caused by neurotoxins in tick saliva, often starting in the legs and moving upward; if untreated, it can lead to respiratory failure.

In the worst cases, untreated tick bites can cause multiple organ failure and even death.

How do you avoid tick bites?

There are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself.

When spending time outdoors, Aderson recommends wearing light-colored, long-sleeved clothing and tucking your pants into your socks to keep ticks from crawling up your legs.

She also advises using EPA-approved repellents — such as picaridin, DEET or oil of lemon eucalyptus — on your skin, and treating clothing with permethrin for extra protection.

“After potential exposure, bathing within two hours and drying clothes on high heat for at least 10 minutes are advised to reduce risk,” Aderson said. 

She said thorough tick checks are also “essential” after outdoor activities, especially in areas where ticks like to hide — behind the ears, in or around the hairline and anywhere skin folds together.

That includes the armpits, groin, under the breasts, between the buttocks, between the toes, inside the belly button and along the back.