As winter finally yields its grip and warmer weather sneaks in, more people are getting outdoors. They are gardening, hiking, going to parks, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and traveling across the country and they will be facing an increased risk of getting some pretty awful diseases, some which were rare in the US until more recent times.

Since 2004, the number of cases of diseases caused by flea, mosquito and tick bites has more than tripled in the US. In 2004, there were only about 27,300 cases of these diseases and in 2016, the number had grown to 96,000. During that 13-year period there were 640,000 cases of diseases caused by flea, mosquito or tick bites and experts say these numbers will continue to increase.

You’ve heard of Lyme disease caused by tick bites and over the past five years you’ve also heard of the West Nile virus spread by mosquito bites. In the past two years, there has been a lot of news about the Zika virus being found in the US and this is another mosquito borne disease.

What you may not be aware of is that the number of cases of plague from flea bites is also on the rise. Yes, this the same type of plague that wiped out huge numbers of Europeans in the Middle Ages.

Some of the newer and lesser known diseases showing up include chikungunya virus from mosquitos and babesiosis from ticks. Another one that many are not familiar with is dengue fever, also referred to as bone-break disease.

Chikungunya virus – (chik-en-gun-ye): Symptoms include fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling and rash. Thought to come to America via the Caribbean islands. There is no vaccine to prevent chikungunya virus, nor is there any real affective treatment.

Babesiosis: Caused by Babesia microti, a microscopic parasite found in ticks and transmitted by their bites that attack human red blood cells. Many people with babesiosis have no symptoms until the disease becomes a serious issue. It can cause flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, sweats, headache, body ache, loss of appetite, nausea and fatigue. It can cause hemolytic anemia and can be life-threatening for people with no spleen, weakened immune system, AIDS, some cancers, liver and kidney disease and the elderly.

Dengue fever: According to the CDC, dengue fever is the leading cause of death in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Worldwide, about 400,000 people are infected each year. Until recently, dengue fever was rare in the continental United States however it is found in the US territory of Puerto Rico, in Mexico and Central American and many of the Caribbean islands. My wife’s dad’s family arrived on Barbados in 1637, many still live there today and some of them have had serous bouts of dengue fever. Some attribute the spread of dengue fever into the US with the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from Central America that have flooded into the US over the past 9 years. When the 100,000 unaccompanied minors that Obama allowed into the US, some of them turned out to be infected with dengue fever.

Symptoms of dengue fever includes high fever and at least two of the following – severe headache, severe pain behind the eye, joint pain, muscle and/or bone pain, rash, easy bleeding of nose, gums and bruises and a low white blood cell count. It is also called bone break disease because the bones and muscles hurt so much it feels like they are breaking.

More severe symptoms include severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, red spots on skin, bleeding of gums and nose, vomiting blood, black tarry stools, drowsiness, irritability, pale skin, cold to touch, clammy feel to skin and difficulty breathing.

There is no know cure or treatment for dengue fever. The CDC recommends analgesics (pain killers) and acetaminophen but they warn to stay away from ibuprofen, Naproxen and aspirin as they could increase bleeding. Push fluids and if symptoms are severe, see a doctor.

The bottom line is that getting outdoors is great and healthy but you need to take precautions such as using a DEET insect repellent and wear protective clothing – long sleeves and long pants.