Having recently moved from a suburban area nestled in a major metropolitan region to a semi-rural area amid forests, farms, a nature preserve, and even a swamp, I’ve become a little more conscious of the need to take proper precautions against insect-borne diseases.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports, “Disease cases from mosquito, tick, and flea bites tripled in the US from 2004 to 2016. Nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks have been discovered or introduced since 2004.” Between 2004 and 2016, more than 640,000 cases of dengue, Zika, Lyme, and plague were reported.

CDC also reports that about 4 out of 5 local vector control organizations “lack critical prevention and control capacities.”

All of that is sad news. Yet it is not so dire as at first it sounds. Perspective helps show significance. Nonetheless, Americans would be wise to take steps to minimize their risks of contracting such vector-borne diseases as dengue, Zika, Lyme, spotted fever, malaria, even plague.

First, a sense of proportion puts the magnitude of the problem in perspective.

The CDC reports that 27,388 infections by mosquito, tick, or flea were reported in 2004. In a population of approximately 293 million at the time, that is an infection rate of 9.35 per 100,000, or 0.000935 percent. In other words, fewer than 1 in 10,000 Americans contracted diseases from mosquitos, ticks, or fleas in 2004.

The infection rate rose from 9.35 per 100,000 in 2004 to 29.7 per 100,000 in 2016, or from 0.000935 percent to 0.00297 percent. Fewer than 3 in 10,000 Americans contracted diseases from any of those three vectors.

In short, the chances of the average American’s being infected by one of those diseases through a bite from one of those vectors are extremely small.

Still, caution is advised, and the CDC makes these recommendations (with some minor modifications of my own) to individuals. When you expect to be in areas where you’re likely to encounter mosquitoes and ticks:

• Use an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent against mosquitoes and ticks. The EPA provides a search tool by which individuals can identify the best registered insecticides for their circumstances.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long slacks, and particularly after being in high-risk locations (walking through fields, woods, or swamps), do a thorough tick-check as soon as privacy allows.
• Treat shoes and clothing with permethrin or buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear. An Internet search for permethrin will show various commercial brands.
• Take steps to control ticks and fleas on pets.
• Find and remove ticks and fleas daily from family and pets. The CDC provides instructions for tick removal. Rapid removal is the best protection against infection.
  • “Avoid folklore remedies such as “painting” the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible–not waiting for it to detach.”
  • “If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick.”
• Take steps to control mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas inside and outside your home. CDC recommendations are here for mosquitoes and here for ticks. The commercial site PetMeds provides helpful advice about ridding your home of fleas here.

One last point: Climate change is not to blame for the spread of disease-bearing insects or the rising rate of infections.