Illnesses spread by mosquitoes, ticks and fleas have greatly expanded in both infection rates and in geographical reach, with more than 640,000 cases reported and 9 new germs discovered between 2004–2016, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
Why now: While CDC director of vector-borne diseases Lyle Petersen declined to blame climate change, he said warmer temperatures are escalating the issue along with other factors like increased global trade, patterns of movements of people and animals, and the spread of people — and deer — into rural areas.
Pharmaceutical companies are shouldering a greater share of the blame for the opioid crisis, according to a new Survey Monkey/Axios poll, although individual users are blamed most often.
Why it matters: This shift in blame mirrors a shift in Washington policymakers' thinking. Some lawmakers – particularly liberal Democrats – have introduced legislation punishing drug companies, while the Department of Justice is backing lawsuits against drug manufacturers and distributors.
