>>18240495

…."MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. US microbiologists were interested in studying tick-borne infections in Ukraine and research in this direction was funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Chief of Russian Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov said at a briefing on Thursday.

"[Just as German researchers], the US microbiologists were particularly interested in the tick-borne infections, research in this direction was financed by the DTRA within the framework of the UP-1, UP-8 projects," he said following an analysis of documents on the US military biological activity in Ukraine.

The general noted that a separate project researching ixodid ticks who transmit multiple particularly dangerous infections (tularemia, West Nile fever, Crimean-Congo fever) was implemented by specialists from the University of Texas.

According to the military official, ticks were collected primarily in Ukraine’s south-eastern regions where natural hotspots of infections, typical for the Russian Federation, are located. That said, this research coincided with a rapid rise in the incidence of Lyme disease among the Ukrainian population as well as the increased number of ticks in several Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

This issue is being studied by relevant Russian experts jointly with the Russian Defense Ministry’s specialists, the general added."

https://tass.com/politics/1476937

>>18240514

House of Representatives orders Pentagon to investigate whether ticks were once used as biological weapons

By Christina Maxouris, CNN

Updated 3:30 AM EDT, Wed July 17, 2019

The US House of Representatives has ordered an investigation into whether the Department of Defense experimented with ticks and other insects as biological weapons.

In an amendment passed last week, the House calls for the Defense Department’s Inspector General to look at whether any such experiments were done between the years 1950 and 1975.

The amendment was introduced by New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith who said he was inspired to write it by “a number of books and articles suggesting that significant research had been done at US government facilities including Fort Detrick, Maryland, and Plum Island, New York, to turn ticks and other insects into bioweapons.

“If true, what were the parameters of the program? Who ordered it?” Smith said during a debate for the amendment. “Was there any accidental release anywhere or at any time of any of the diseased ticks?”

Rep. Chris Smith

Rep. Chris Smith

The most common disease spread by ticks is Lyme disease, which can cause multiple symptoms including fever, muscle aches, joint pain, rash and facial paralysis. If left untreated, it could lead to arthritis, nervous system problems and heart problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Each year, nearly 30,000 cases of Lyme Disease are reported to the CDC, which also says that more than 300,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. In 2017, a total of 42,743 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme Disease were reported to the CDC, 17% more than in 2016, according to the agency.

If the Pentagon’s investigation finds that the Defense department weaponized Lyme disease in ticks, the amendment calls for a report on the scope of the experiment and whether the insects used were “released outside of any laboratory by accident or experiment design.”

During the amendment’s debate, Smith said Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases were “exploding” in the US and that “Americans have a right to know whether any of this is true.”

According to his website, Smith has also authored the TICK Act, which would create a holistic government strategy to fight Lyme disease and authorize $180 million to boost funding for research, prevention and treatment of the disease."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/politics/lyme-disease-amendment-investigation/index.html

>>18240583

…."If the Pentagon’s investigation finds that the Defense department weaponized Lyme disease in ticks, the amendment calls for a report on the scope of the experiment and whether the insects used were “released outside of any laboratory by accident or experiment design.”…..

Sound familiar?