Tick and Mosquito Infections Spreading Rapidly, C.D.C. Finds

[CampinCarl]

It seems our anecdotal evidence of increased ticks and diseases spread by them bears some truth, see the news from today:

Tick and Mosquito Infections Spreading Rapidly, C.D.C. Finds

Source: NY Times

The number of people getting diseases transmitted by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled in the United States in recent years, federal health officials reported on Tuesday. Since 2004, at least nine such diseases have been discovered or newly introduced here.

[Bosterson]

Don't panic.

But a look at the data tells a more nuanced, less alarming story.

The CDC’s data, published in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, clumps together cases of 16 different types of diseases spread by insects (called "vector-borne diseases"), which are each reported to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS). This system covers all US states as well as US territories. The agency noted in its press materials that this is the first time they’ve ever aggregated disease counts together like this for one analysis. (Why they chose to start this year is anyone’s guess. Perhaps because it allowed them to say things like “diseases tripled.” Who knows?)

and

So, what about the rest of the increase? About 24 percent was from Lyme disease. But, that increase also requires an asterisk. Lyme disease case counts went from 19,804 in 2004 to 36,429 in 2016. But the CDC changed the way it counted Lyme disease cases back in 2008, adding “probable” cases into the “confirmed” case counts. Unsurprisingly, the number of Lyme disease cases peaked in 2009, with 38,468 cases. It has been below that level ever since.

[CampinCarl]

Thanks, that's helpful... so it's probably about the same rate of infection. NYT Fake News???

[kepPNW]

Don't panic.

Thank you! Nobody likes these guys, but the current hysteria seems to be well out of proportion to the perceived increase in threat. (Common theme these days, of course.)