Diseases Spread By Insects Have More Than Tripled, CDC Says

In the United States, diseases spread by mosquito, flea and tick bites tripled from 2004 to 2016, federal health officials say in a new report. During that time, there were more than 640,000 cases of vector-borne diseases. “People really do need to take this seriously,” says Dr. Lyle Petersen, the director of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The new study—published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report—marks the first time the agency has collectively examined the trends for diseases that are spread by pests. The goal, says Petersen, is to gain a better understanding of the growing burden of these illnesses in the U.S., such as Zika, Lyme disease, West Nile virus and more. 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 disease reports. The study found that reported tick-borne disease cases doubled during the time period with Lyme disease accounting for 82% of all tick-borne disease reports. Fleas spread disease like the plague, but in far fewer numbers. 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, chikungunya, Heartland virus, Bourbon virus and more. MORE: Here’s Everyth...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime public health Source Type: news