Maryland Emergency Department on the lookout for diseases transmitted by tick bites

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]With the weather warming up, it's important to be wary of ticks. One Maryland doctor tells WJZ they're seeing a slight uptick for tick bites in the emergency department, but most people are going to their primary care doctor.

[00:00:12]The chief of emergency medicine for Carroll Hospital warns ticks can give you multiple diseases. While doctors are not seeing an overwhelming amount of people at the ER, Lyme disease is most common in the area, but health experts are also making sure other diseases aren't being missed.

[00:00:31]There is a a a disease called the alpha-gal syndrome that is starting to have an increase in Maryland. Um that's a tick bite that causes an allergic reaction to meat. Um and then there's several others that cause uh fevers and um and other flu-like symptoms.

[00:00:47]She says that if you go to the ER with flu-like symptoms, let your doctor know if you have been bitten by a tick, and that the best prevention is to wear long sleeves and pants tucked into your socks when you're in a woodsy area.