Pennsylvania debuts dashboard to track tick-borne diseases

The Pennsylvania Department of Health launched an online dashboard Monday that provides residents and health care providers information about tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease.

The public-facing dashboard was designed as a tool for residents to see where ticks are prevalent and to prepare for recreating outdoors, according to a press release. 

“Pennsylvania has incredible outdoor recreational opportunities, and we want to provide as much information as possible for residents to enjoy them safely,” Dr. Debra Bogen, the state’s acting health secretary, said in the release. “Taking appropriate precautions can help avoid Lyme and other tick-borne diseases that can lead to serious illness. As a pediatrician, I always recommend doing a tick check after playing outside, especially for children and pets.”

The dashboard consists of de-identified emergency department data from all hospitals in the state. Data for most hospital emergency room visits are logged by the Department of Health within 24 hours, according to the dashboard.

Pennsylvania’s dashboard includes information about the incidence of Lyme disease cases by county and how many have been reported throughout the state by month. The dashboard also tracks cases of other tick-borne diseases, including anaplasmosis, the second-most commonly reported tick-borne disease in Pennsylvania, as well as babesiosis and ehrlichiosis.

Residents can also review charts detailing the rate of tick-bite-related emergency room visits throughout the state.

Pennsylvania is the latest state to create a data dashboard for residents to track tick-borne diseases. Last year, Rhode Island debuted a similar tool. States including Indiana, Maine and Vermont also have online dashboards meant to protect residents from tick-borne illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention managed a nationwide tick-borne disease surveillance dashboard, but it hasn’t been updated since 2022.

Johns Hopkins University maintains dashboards that track Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. In 2022, those tools received an interactive visualization award from the American Association of Geographers.