CDC: Babesiosis, A Rare Tick- Born Disease Is Spreading In The Northeast - NPR [View all]

- 'What is Babesiosis? A rare tick-borne disease is on the rise in the Northeast,' NPR, March 17, 2023. Ed.

In the most extreme cases, babesiosis can be fatal, especially among those who are immunocompromised, the CDC says. The disease can also come with life-threatening complications, including low platelet counts, renal failure in the kidneys, or respiratory distress syndrome. Although cases of babesiosis are on the rise, the disease is still relatively rare, with, states reported more than 1,800 cases of babesiosis per year to the CDC between 2011 and 2019.

Compare that to the most common tick-borne affliction, Lyme disease: The CDC says it receives 30,000 Lyme case reports each year. For both diseases, the actual number of cases is likely much higher, the CDC says, because data is reported on a state-by-state basis and procedures vary. Ten states, for example, don't require babesiosis to be reported at all. - Where is it spreading? Among the states that do require reporting, 8 saw significant increases in case numbers from 2011 to 2019, according to the CDC's first comprehensive national surveillance on babesiosis.

In 3 states — Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire — case numbers increased so much that the CDC says babesiosis should be considered endemic. Increases also were noted in states where the disease already was endemic: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The CDC did not give an explicit reason for the rise in babesiosis cases, but state programs that track cases of tick-borne illnesses have said that milder winters might be behind rising infection numbers, as they allow ticks to stay active year-round.

In the long-term, an expansion of babesiosis could impact the blood supply, says the CDC. The agency says that the parasite can be transmitted via a blood transfusion, and that those who contract the disease through contaminated blood have "significantly worse health outcomes." The FDA already recommends screening for the parasite at blood donation centers in the 14 states with the most cases, as well as in Washington, D.C. - What can I do to prevent contracting babesiosis?...https://www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1164291434/babesiosis-tick-disease-northeast