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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The rare tickborne disease babesiosis is on the rise in New England, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
According to the report, cases of babesiosis in the United States rose 25% from 40,795 in 2011 to 50,856 in 2019, causing three states—Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont—to be added to the list of states where the disease is considered endemic.
The illness now has endemic status in all six New England states, as well as Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
Babesiosis can be carried by black-legged ticks, otherwise known as deer ticks, in the northeastern and midwestern United States and can enter a person's bloodstream after a tick bites them.
After a bite, a person can develop a fever, muscle headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, and other flu-like symptoms, and in extreme cases the illness can be fatal, especially to those who are immunocompromised.
Experts recommend anyone looking to head into the woods during the spring and summer months to wear long sleeves and long pants and use bug repellent.
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