ATLANTA — The number of illnesses from mosquitoes, ticks and flea bites has tripled over the last few years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From 2004 to 2016 there have been more than 640,000 cases reported to the CDC.
Channel 2's Craig Lucie went the CDC's campus, where there was a vital signs briefing Tuesday at which a doctor explained why we are seeing the increase.
“Many of these diseases are just a plane flight away,” Petersen said.
Dr. Lyle Petersen is the director of the CDC’s division of vector-borne diseases and he said there’s one main reason why the number of flea, tick and mosquito-borne illnesses have tripled since 2004.
Petersen said more people are also living in the country, creating a spike in tick-borne illnesses from deer.
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