Mosquito, Flea, and Tick Borne Illnesses Triple: How Does That Affect Us in Kentucky?

According to WHAS11 there is a new report from the CDC about the illnesses summer bugs can share and it’s alarming. For the first time, the CDC has summarized all the diseases that ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes cause collectively. This includes Zika, West Nile, Lyme disease, dengue, plague, chikungunya, and more. In 2004, there were 27,388 reported cases of such diseases, in 2016 there were 96,075. That is three times as many in only thirteen years.

Not only that, nine more germs that cause disease were discovered in or introduced to the US during this period. The CDC doesn’t have confidence in how prepared we are in the United States for this upswing. They say diseases from ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas are difficult to control and are a widespread cause of death and sickness. Due to this recent growth, state and local health organizations need to invest more in the fight against them. CDC Director Robert R. Redfield says, “we don’t know what will threaten Americans next”.

Causes of Vector-Borne Disease Growth

Overseas travel and commerce are more common than ever, so as people travel it is possible they take diseases wherever they go. It is as simple as one person with a mosquito-borne illness coming to the US and being bitten by a mosquito, then that mosquito bites someone else, who is bitten by another mosquito… you get it right?

Now put that in perspective here in Louisville. Think about how many mosquitoes we have here and how quickly disease could spread if introduced. Mosquitoes and ticks are also growing in numbers and migrating into new areas. Sixty percent of this 13-year increase was in tick-borne illnesses. There have been three types of ticks we concern ourselves with over the past years in Kentucky and they do carry disease. The CDCconfirms ticks are traveling to new areas across the country. That just adds to the diseases we must concern ourselves with. For example, even though there have been instances of Lyme, it has never been very much of a problem here. However north of us, it is a huge problem so the idea of it spreading to Kentucky is not far-fetched at all, in fact, the numbers are already beginning to rise.

Vector-Borne Disease Prevention

The CDC emphasizes local governments’ need to build programs that test for and track diseases, to train staff in mosquito and tick prevention and control, and to educate the public about how these diseases are spread. The Center also reminds the public to be diligent in their own fight by using insect repellent, dressing appropriately, treating clothing and camping gear, and treating and protecting your pets.

At Mosquito Squad of Louisville, we know that it is by eliminating the bugs that we avoid the disease. We would add to the CDC’s suggestions that professional treatment is the best way to protect your family. Our flea, tick, and mosquito treatment services combined with your due diligence in keeping your yard clean of areas that these pests thrive in is no longer just something you could do, but something you should do. It’s up to us to work together to lower these numbers. Call us today to put the plan in place.