The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that Americans living in eight northeastern U.S. states should be aware of the signs of babesiosis, a tick-borne disease that is on the rise.
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont have seen increases in babesiosis, while the disease is endemic in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, according to the CDC report. That’s based on data that was collected between 2011 and 2019.
Unlike Lyme disease, caused by several types of borrellia bacteria, babesiosis is caused by the babesia parasite that can infect red blood cells—not unlike malaria. Some medical professionals describe babesia—along with anaplasmosis, the Powassan virus, sometimes bartonella, and others—as a “co-infection” to Lyme disease that are transmitted via tick bites….