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University of Nebraska Medical Center

A Potentially Life-Threatening Disease Caused by Ticks Is Expanding to New Parts of America

Smithsonian Magazine

Babesiosis typically occurs in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest, but new research suggests rare cases are emerging in the mid-Atlantic region including Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Babesiosis is a rare, tick-borne disease caused by a parasite that attacks the red blood cells and can lead to flu-like symptoms such as fever, body aches and fatigue. In North America, babesiosis typically occurs in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest. But the parasite’s range seems to be expanding into the mid-Atlantic, according to a new paper published last month in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Scientists are urging health care providers in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware to be on the lookout for symptoms of the disease, which is easiest to treat when it’s caught early.

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