Virginia ranks among the top states for Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Alpha-gal Syndrome, and Ehrlichiosis.
Ticks are active year-round in Virginia, even during mild winters.
Twelve different tick-borne diseases are circulating in the state.
Early detection saves lives—tick-borne illnesses can become chronic, disabling, or even fatal if left untreated.
Your best defense is prevention. Explore our site for expert tips and up-to-date safety info to help you and your family stay tick-safe.
Our Tick Safety Adventures Activity Book features over 40 fun, educational activities designed to help children learn how to stay safe outdoors. Through interactive mazes, “I-See-a-Tick” games, “Tick-or-Not-a-Tick” challenges, coloring pages, and puzzles, kids build essential knowledge and confidence around tick safety.
Children will learn to recognize ticks, understand where they live, and use effective prevention strategies.
New!
Download our Tick Safety Adventures Teaching Guide—a practical resource for parents, educators, and caregivers to reinforce key concepts and support learning at home or in the classroom.
Explore the Activity Book and download the Teaching Guide at www.ticksafetyadventures.com
In October 2025, we engaged with nearly 1500 people in several health fairs, a Farmer's market, and Virginia Tech's Hokie Bugfest. Our tick mascot, Star, also joined the fun.
We enjoy being out in the community, sharing tick safety tips, correcting misinformation, and talking with people about their experiences with tick-borne diseases.
Coming in Spring 2026, we will be traveling throughout Southwest Virginia on a Townhall and Tabling Tour. Let us know if you have an event for us!
Dr. Jenny Hall, Founder of Ticks in Virginia, regularly presents at conferences and professional meetings. She utilizes a One Health framework to identify regionally specific risks, integrates real stories from people impacted by tick-borne diseases, and shares prevention strategies.
Recent presentations include the Appalachian Regional Translation Research Network where she found nearly 94% of Appalachian counties had a reported tick-borne disease between 2019-2022, a Radford University Provost Series RAD Talk, and the 2025 American Public Health Association Conference in Washington D.C.. Upcoming presentations include the Southeastern North Carolina Environmental Health District Quarterly Meeting, and the 2026 Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioner's Conference.
Would you like Dr. Hall to present? Contact her at ticksinvirginia@gmail.com.
Dr. Hall also shares stories of people's experiences with tick-borne diseases shared through her lived experience studies and community outreach. Earlier this year, she presented on the lived experiences of adults with Alpha-gal Syndrome and its impact on quality of life at the 1st European Conference on Tick-borne Diseases. It was the only presentation on Alpha-gal and was presented in the medical management and emerging disease session, raising awareness among attendees from 21 countries.
She is currently working on a book about how Alpha-gal impacts overall health and well-being.