Tick Risk Score by Region

Tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis, are a significant issue in New York (NY), impacting well over 10,000 individuals yearly. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has a responsibility to perform surveillance to monitor and track different kinds of tick-borne diseases. While most surveillance is done via reportable cases of human illness, tick-borne diseases can also be monitored by collecting ticks from the environment (called active surveillance) and testing them for bacteria, viruses, and parasites known to cause illness in people (collectively called pathogens). Active surveillance allows local county health departments in NY, excluding New York City (NYC), to have a better understanding of the tick populations present in the state, the species composition of the tick population, and the rate at which ticks are infected with different pathogens. The Department started testing ticks in 2002 in limited areas; testing statewide began in 2008. Further information on NYSDOH active tick surveillance can be found at the URL below and in the Data Methodology section below. https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme/