Ticks live in North Carolina year-round, and can transmit serious illnesses such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. With the recent spike in tick-related emergency department visits, here's what N.C. residents should know about the tiny arachnids, the diseases they carry and more.

Emergency room visits for tick bites are at a six-year high. Here’s how to prevent tick bites, and what to do if you get bitten.

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is reporting an increase in tick-related visits to the emergency room to start the summer season, which correlates with a trend seen across the Northeast.  Between June and July so far,