(New Haven, Conn. WTIC)-To fight what entomologists are calling an emerging health issue, U. S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) wants the Center for Disease Control budget increased by $50-million to fight the tick population, controlling Lyme and other diseases. He also wants Defense Department funding increased by $12-million to protect members of the military.
Experts at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven say Connecticut is now faced with three emerging tick species: The Lone Star, Gulf Coast and Asian Long Horn.
The number of cases have increased nationwide and in Connecticut. Blumenthal says the problem is not everyone gets the ticks tested, meaning the actual number of Lyme disease cases are actually higher.
Blumenthal says in Connecticut, it's a serious problem because 46-percent of the ticks carry the Lyme infection.