Mosquitoes, ticks, and other species are found in wet and warmer places and can spread diseases like Zika, West Nile, Dengue, Malaria, and Lyme disease. As climate changes have led to more areas where mosquitos and ticks thrive, scientists predict an increase in mosquito- and tick-borne diseases. Also, global trade makes it easier to transport these pests across countries and continents.

In the U.S., mosquito and tick-borne diseases are increasing. From 2004 to 2016, the number of cases per year tripled from 27,388 cases to 96,075 cases.

The most common disease from ticks in the U.S. is Lyme disease. The most common disease from mosquitoes in the U.S. is West Nile virus.

The population of mosquitoes that carry West Nile and other diseases is expected to expand. This is mainly because of changes in the environment that make places more suitable for mosquitoes like warmer temperatures, more humidity, and more sites where water can collect like discarded plastic containers.

The population of ticks that carry Lyme disease is expected to expand. This is mainly because of changes in the environment that make places more suitable for ticks like warmer temperatures and more humidity.

Using Environmental Protection Agency registered insect repellents, wearing long sleeve shirts and pants, keeping windows, doors, and screens in good condition, using air conditioning, removing outdoor containers where water collects, and sleeping under a mosquito net can help prevent mosquito bites.

Some vaccines are available for some mosquito-borne diseases like Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, and chikungunya, but there are no currently available vaccines in the United States for other diseases like Zika, dengue fever, and St. Louis encephalitis. There are some treatments for malaria, but none for Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika, dengue, or St. Louis encephalitis.

Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas all year round. Most bites occur between April and September.

Avoiding woody and brushy areas, wearing long clothing, wearing Environmental Protection Agency registered insect repellents, checking for ticks on persons, pets, and gear, and showering soon after being outdoors can help prevent tick bites.

While there is a vaccine available for tick-borne encephalitis, there are no currently available vaccines for many other tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease.

There are some treatments for Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and babesiosis. These treatments have varying degrees of success. There are no treatments available for Powassen virus.

We are still learning how large current populations of ticks and mosquitoes are because some areas do not collect frequent data on ticks and mosquitoes.

Scientists are working to improve predictions about the risk of tick- and mosquito-borne disease. This includes looking at factors like the environment, current information on populations of ticks and mosquitoes, and human behavior.