{
  "id": 7129215,
  "title": "It's High Time for Operation 'Tick Speed'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/its-high-time-for-operation-tick-speed",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-13T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MedPage Today",
    "slug": "medpage-today",
    "url": "https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/122968"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eighty years ago, the CDC was formed with one singular purpose: to eradicate malaria from the United States. By 1946, malaria had claimed lives and caused illness for over 150 years, but thanks to the CDC's efforts, the disease was eliminated from the continental U.S. by 1951, including the Deep South. However, as malaria fell, another vector-borne illness emerged in the 20th century: Lyme disease, discovered in Lyme, Connecticut in the 1970s. In a short time, Lyme disease cases spread across the Northeast and Midwest, marking the beginning of a new vector-borne epidemic.\n\nWhile malaria was successfully eradicated within 50 years, Lyme disease has expanded rapidly in incidence and geography over the same period. Furthermore, other tick-borne diseases have emerged and spread alongside Lyme, such as babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and many others. Consequently, the burden of tick-borne diseases on public health has become significant, with incidence rates in some endemic areas exceeding 100 per 100,000 population. Additionally, allergic reactions to tick bites, particularly alpha-gal syndrome (red meat allergy), have emerged as a major public health concern, with tens of thousands of suspected cases identified in the U.S. in recent years.\n\nSo how did we get here, and what can be done about these growing tick-borne diseases? The answers are complex, but the bottom line is clear. Unlike malaria, which was combated at a geographic scale through public works projects and widespread DDT applications, the fight against tick-borne diseases has been delegated to individuals. Personal protection and public education have failed to curb the expansion of tick-borne diseases. Instead, targeted and sustained resources and political will are needed to change the course.",
  "summary": "(MedPage Today) -- The CDC was founded 80 years ago with a single mission: to eradicate malaria from the U.S. By 1946, the year of the CDC's inception, malaria had devastated the nation, causing significant morbidity and mortality for more than...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}