Meat allergies, confusion, vomiting — 5 diseases you can get from ticks as ER visits spike

Nypost · May 23, 2026 · 1069 words · By McKenzie Beard

Public Health Warning Medical Risks of Tick-borne Diseases

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Public Health Warning

Meat allergies, confusion, vomiting — 5 diseases you can get from ticks as ER visits spike See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 17

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Meat allergies, confusion, vomiting — 5 diseases you can get from ticks as ER visits spike See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleThe unofficial start of summer arrives this weekend — and ticks are wasting no time crashing the party.

Common ground

Emergency room visits for tick bites jumped more than 25% nationwide in April compared to the same time last year, according to CDC data, with the Northeast getting hit especially hard as the tiny bloodsuckers swarm back for the season.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public Health Warning story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Emergency room visits for tick bites jumped more than 25% nationwide in April compared to the same time last year, according to CDC data?
How does this story connect Public Health Warning with Medical Risks of Tick-borne Diseases over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/23/health/5-diseases-you-can-get-from-ticks-as-er-vis…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 80% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7

verified Verified By Reference 3

info Single Source 3

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified

Claim 1: “Emergency room visits for tick bites jumped more than 25% nationwide in April compared to the same time last year, according to CDC data”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While there are search results mentioning a spike in ER visits for tick bites in April 2026, none of the provided evidence specifically mentions a '25% jump' or provides the exact percentage increase to verify this specific figure.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the success of vaccination efforts. However, it continues to be reintroduced—especially wh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles_resurgence_in_the_Unit…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — CDC NSW is a bus operator in New South Wales, Australia. It is an umbrella brand of ComfortDelGro Australia established in 2017 to cover the latter's New South Wales operations, some of which had been…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDC_NSW

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centers_for_Disease_Control_an…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “The infection is spread to humans through the bite of blacklegged ticks carrying Borrelia bacteria.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that Lyme disease is caused by species of Borrelia bacteria and transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes (blacklegged ticks).

check_circle

Claim 3: “The CDC estimates about 31 million Americans are bitten by the parasitic arachnids each year”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including Axios and various web search results, confirm the CDC estimate that approximately 31 million Americans are bitten by ticks annually.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Quarantine Unit (NQU) is a federally funded quarantine and isolation facility in the United States located at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, Nebraska. The unit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Quarantine_Unit

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The CDC publishes official numbers of COVID-19 cases in the United States. The CDC estimates that, between February 2020 and September 2021, only 1 in 1.3 COVID-19 deaths were attributed to COVID-19. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics_of_the_COVID-19_pan…

+ 4 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 4: “There is no currently no cure for alpha-gal syndrome.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “About 5,000 to 6,000 people get anaplasmosis every year across the country, according to Harvard Health.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 6: “Most cases [of alpha-gal syndrome] are linked to bites from lone star ticks”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results provided for this claim are definitions of the word 'Alpha' and the Greek letter, providing no medical information regarding alpha-gal syndrome or lone star ticks.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 16, 2026 · The meaning of ALPHA is the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet. How to use alpha in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alpha

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Therefore, Alpha, both as a symbol and term, is used to refer to the "first", or "primary", or "principal" (most significant) occurrence or status of a thing. The New Testament has God declaring himse…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The 'α' is a letter of the Greek alphabet. In mathematics, physics, and engineering, it is often used to denote an angle, a coefficient of thermal expansion, an alpha particle, among other uses.
https://wumbo.net/symbols/alpha/

schedule

Claim 7: “This [Ehrlichiosis] is a general term that covers a group of diseases spread through the bite of ticks infected with Ehrlichia bacteria.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 8: “By the fourth week of April, roughly 114 out of every 100,000 emergency department visits nationwide were linked to tick bites — the highest level for this point in the year since at least 2017.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (Healio and a Facebook post citing the same data) confirm that in the fourth week of April, 114 out of 100,000 ED visits were for tick bites, noting it as the highest rate since 2017.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The AGM-114 Hellfire is an American missile developed for anti-armor use, later developed for precision drone strikes against other target types, especially high-value targets. It was originally devel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-114_Hellfire

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Highway 114 (AR 114, Ark. 114, and Hwy. 114) is a state highway in the Lower Arkansas Delta. The route of 28.66 miles (46.12 km) runs from Highway 35 to US Highway 65 (US 65) in Gould. The route is ma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Highway_114

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — State Highway 114 (SH 114) is a state highway that runs from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex westward across Texas to the New Mexico state line, where it becomes New Mexico State Road 114, which event…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Highway_114

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 9: “With an estimated 476,000 Americans receiving treatment each year, Lyme disease stands as the most common tick-borne illness in the US.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Lyme disease is the most common disease spread by ticks in the Northern Hemisphere. Axios provides the specific figure of 476,000 people treated annually per the CDC.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes. It is the most common disease spre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chronic Lyme disease (CLD) is the name used by some people with non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle pain, and cognitive dysfunction to refer to their condition, even if there is no evidence…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_Lyme_disease

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lyme Regis ( LYME REE-jiss) is a town in west Dorset, England, 25 miles (40 km) west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_Regis

schedule

Claim 10: “About 1,200 cases are diagnosed annually in the US [of Rocky Mountain spotted fever]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “This potentially life-threatening illness [Rocky Mountain spotted fever] is spread through the bite of a tick infected with the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 12: “In most cases, the insect must remain attached for 36 to 48 hours or longer before transmission can occur.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence confirms that ticks transmit the bacteria, but none of the search results specifically mention the '36 to 48 hours' timeframe for transmission.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes. [4][9][10] It is the most common d…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — About Lyme disease information on symptoms, prevention, tick removal, testing, and what CDC is doing.
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 6, 2026 · Humans usually get Lyme disease from the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria. Ticks that can carry borrelia bacteria live throughout most of the United States. But Lyme disease is most …
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/…

schedule

Claim 13: “About 500 cases are reported in the US each year [of Ehrlichiosis]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 14: “most cases of Lyme disease can be cured with early treatment using antibiotics.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results provided for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'early' and do not contain medical information regarding the cure of Lyme disease.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Learn what early means with clear definitions, pronunciation, synonyms, and real-world examples. Simple explanations to help you use early correctly.
https://www.dictionary.net/dictionary/early

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of EARLY is near the beginning of a period of time. How to use early in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — EARLY definition: 1. near the beginning of a period of time, or before the usual, expected, or planned time: 2…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/early

help

Claim 15: “Researchers last year reported what is believed to be the first known death linked to the condition, involving a 47-year-old New Jersey pilot who became ill hours after eating a hamburger in 2024.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or contradict the claim about a 47-year-old New Jersey pilot.

schedule

Claim 16: “Anaplasmosis... is spread primarily through the bites of blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 17: “The CDC estimates as many as 450,000 Americans may have been affected as of 2023.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the CDC estimate of 450,000 Americans affected by alpha-gal syndrome.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.