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