Talking Ticks with State Epidemiologist Rebecca Osborn

Talking Ticks with State Epidemiologist Rebecca Osborn

June 16, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

Debra Fitzgerald interviews epidemiologist Rebecca Osborn about the surge in tick bites and Lyme disease in Wisconsin, providing essential information and advice for outdoor safety.

Tick season is here, and this year it’s hitting harder and earlier than usual. Wisconsin is seeing double the ER visits for tick bites compared to last year, with Lyme disease incidences climbing. Debra Fitzgerald talks with epidemiologist Rebecca Osborn from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to break down what’s driving the surge, what diseases beyond Lyme you should know about, what to do if you find a tick on yourself or your kids and a promising new vaccine that could be released as early as this year. Whether you’re hiking the peninsula, working in your yard, or just spending time outside this summer, Osborn provides essential information and advice.

People in this episode

Host: Debra Fitzgerald

Guest: Rebecca Osborn

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Places: Wisconsin

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