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ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - More people are getting sick from biting insects, especially ticks and mosquitoes.
Illnesses from bugs have more than tripled in the United States over the past decade. Last year, more than 96,000 people got sick.
Diseases transmitted by biting insects have more than tripled in the past decade in the United States.
Researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention say these pests have caused more than 96,000 cases of illness in 2017. That's up slightly more than 25,000 cases in 2004.
Several factors are likely behind the increase, including more ticks and mosquitos being out there and moving into new areas carrying those diseases with them.
Overseas travel also contributes to the increase with travelers picking up insect-borne illnesses in other lands and bringing them home.
Also, nine new germs carried by mosquitos and ticks have been discovered or introduced since 2004. The most common tick-borne diseases in 2016 were Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis, which is a serious illness that infects white blood cells.
West Nile, Dengue, and Zika were the most common mosquito-borne germs.
The findings appear in the CDC's 'Vitial Signs' rpeort.