Beware, with warmer weather here, the threat of getting sick from a tick, mosquito and flea bite is increasing, says the CDC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number of illnesses from tick, mosquito and flea bites has more than tripled in the United States, with over 640,000 cases reported from 2004-2016.
The nationwide increase in diseases spread by these insects was largely attributed to mosquitoes and ticks, with ticks being responsible for about 77% of all vector-borne diseases that were reported.
Tick-borne diseases, the report found, are rising steadily in the Northeast, the Upper Midwest and California. Tick-related diseases have doubled since 2004. Lyle Peterson, with the CDC says, " the number of Lyme disease cases is actually 300,000 per year, 10 times what is reported by states."
Overall, from 2004 to 2016, there were nine insect-spread diseases reported for the first time in the United States and U.S. territories, including Zika and chikungunya.