Springtime is in full bloom and summer is right around the corner, so you know what that means? Beaches, barbecues, and bugs!
While beaches and barbecues are fun, the last one is quite serious.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that illnesses from mosquito, tick and flea bites more than tripled in the United States from 2004 to 2016.
MORE THAN TRIPLED IN 12 YEARS!
The report, released last week, shows that the number of reported cases of these diseases jumped from 27,388 cases in 2004 to more than 96,000 cases in 2016. And researches are confident that the actual number of people with one of these illnesses is much higher, since these cases are underreported.
According to the report, the data “substantially underestimate disease occurrence” – meaning the more than triple rate on increase is in fact much larger.
Furthermore, during the course of the study, nine new germs spread by the bites from infected mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced in the US, according to the report. One of them was the Zika virus, which made headlines the last few years.
The increase in diseases cases caused by one of these bug bites is a result of many factors, including overseas travel, climate change, and as we wrote about last April, environmental factors/patterns – especially in the case of Lyme disease.
This story is all the more relevant because May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month – so this news is both unwelcome and critically important.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection primarily transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks and blacklegged ticks. These ticks are typically found in wooded and grassy areas.
Commonly reported symptoms are fever, headache, fatigue, and skin rashes. If left untreated, infection can spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system.
So enough with the bad news – how can we prevent some of this?
Well, in observance of Lyme Disease Awareness Month, LymeDisease.org compiled a list of 8 things to do during May, which includes reaching out to local government and local media, watching and sharing the award-winning documentary “Under our Skin,” help add to the Lyme disease patient registry, and more.
