Tick-Borne Illnesses Are On The Rise: Zika, Lyme, And West Nile Diseases Are Among Them

By danielle prieur/WMFE

Published May 8, 2018 at 7:54 AM EDT

Mosquito-borne illnesses are on the rise along with tick and flea-borne illnesses.

Tick-borne illnesses have more than doubled in the United States over the past decade.

University of Florida researcher Derrick Mathias says even though there were some cases of Lyme disease reported in Florida, the majority illnesses came from mosquitoes.

He says people should still actively prevent against tick bites.

“If anyone has a tick and you pull a tick off yourself, and you have any symptoms whatsoever within the next couple of weeks after that, it is advisable to see a physician and to keep that tick if you can,” he said

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there were more than 640,000 cases transmitted by infected ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas over the past decade.

Almost 60 percent of these were tick-related, as humans expand into their natural habitat.