TRAVEL CHANNEL GETS BIT BY THE TRAVEL BUG IN 'BITE ME WITH DR. MIKE'

- Encountering Bite Sized Vermin and Hungry Critters, New Travel Channel Series Explores the Hidden Health Hazards Found on Vacation Travel -

(Chevy Chase, MD) � Extreme virologist and world traveler Dr. Mike Leahy knows first-hand how even the tiniest of earth's creatures can create huge problems for unsuspecting travelers. Beginning JUNE 23 at 10PM on Travel Channel Dr. Mike makes it his mission to uncover everything that might want to bite, suck, sting or feed on unsuspecting travelers' bodies. From invisible, but lethal, parasites to the creepiest of the creepy crawlers, BITE ME WITH DR. MIKE reveals hidden dangers along with some expert advice on how to avoid these encounters while traveling.

Well-versed in the perils of viruses and causes of infectious diseases, Dr. Mike takes his curiosity a step further as he comes face to face with a wide variety of nature's living hazards as he travels to Brazil, India, Vietnam, Australian Outback, Borneo, Australian Coasts, Mexico, and the U.S. With a grin-and-bear-it mentality, Dr. Mike offers himself as a human host willing to face potential risk and real physical discomfort in an effort to better understand these fascinating creatures.

Whether trekking through the Australian Outback, or in a side street back alley in Brazil, Dr. Mike happens upon several unusual critters including fire ants with a mighty sting; invisible worms that burrow into human skin, beetles armed with chemical weaponry, plants that swallow and digest just about anything, cuddly animals with toxic armpit sweat, and most surprisingly � a nearly invisible Amazon fish that, once attracted by urine, can swim up inside the most sensitive body parts. Never far from a paramedic who can quickly come to the rescue if needed, Dr. Mike has taken all necessary precautions during his encounters.

With a combination of British charm, toxic knowledge and boundless curiosity, Dr. Mike shares his passion for adventurous travel while urging viewers to continue to visit these places, just safely.

BITE ME WITH DR. MIKE is produced by Natural History New Zealand for the Travel Channel. Andrew Waterworth is the executive producer and John Hyde is the series producer for Natural History New Zealand. David E. Gerber is executive producer for Travel Channel.

About Travel Channel Media:

Travel Channel Media is an integrated travel media business, and is wholly owned by Cox Communications, Inc., a leading multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company. Travel Channel Media includes: the Travel Channel television network, available in 94 million U.S. cable homes; Travel Channel HD�, the network's high-definition simulcast; travelchannel.com, the network's broadband travel hub; Travel Channel's video-on-demand (VOD) and HD VOD offerings; its mobile content platform, Travel Channel GO�; World Hum (worldhum.com), a leading online travel blog; and FlightDeck�, an innovative content-sharing and advertising network for online publishers and advertisers.