The federal government is putting nearly $3 million into research on whether ticks can be controlled at the source by treating the deer and rodents they feed on. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the awards through the CDC and NIH on Sept. 28. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave the funding to two of CDC's regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases.
According to HHS, nearly 31 million people in the United States may be bitten by a tick each year, and more than half a million Americans are diagnosed with a tick-borne disease annually. HHS said cases are rising and spreading to new areas.
