One More Thing For Us To Watch Out For

[royhobie]

Anyone of you guys ever heard of this in our area? I haven't, but not to say it isn't here. It seems to be on our coast and working its way south to as close as New York from this report:



Move over, Lyme disease: Another tick-borne illness is on the rise in various parts of the country, and this one can kill.

Known as babesiosis, the disease is caused by a microscopic parasite that attacks blood cells, causing flu-like symptoms that can make it difficult to accurately diagnose. Like Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria, babesia microti parasites are carried by deer ticks.
First documented in Massachusetts in 1969, the once-obscure babesiosis has surfaced as a significant public health threat in parts of the Northeast and Upper Midwest over the last several years. A recent study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, revealed that between 2001 and 2008 cases climbed from six to 119 in New York's Lower Hudson Valley -- a 20-fold regional increase.

And many cases may be escaping detection, experts say.
"I think it's underreported. One of the reasons we're seeing more about it is because people are becoming more aware," said Dr. Peter Krause, a babesiosis researcher and senior research scientist at the Yale University School of Public Health. "The theory is that it's spreading from east to west, as if you were dropping a pebble in a pond and it spread outward geographically."

About 1,000 cases are reported annually in affected locales, Krause said, but many people with babesiosis have no symptoms and never know they're harboring the parasite. For others, symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, fatigue, chills, and muscle aches and pains. It is treated with antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics

[BOP]

We need to commit genocide on the deer population. Damn deer are more trouble than they're worth.

[ShyGirl]

It is one of the co-infections associated with Lyme Disease.

Usually, once you are treated for Lyme, these other things are exposed and symptoms start popping up.

Typical treatment is antibiotics.

For more info, here is a good resource: Lyme Disease Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention, Advocacy (Lyme Info)

[royhobie]

Originally Posted by ShyGirl

It is one of the co-infections associated with Lyme Disease.

Usually, once you are treated for Lyme, these other things are exposed and symptoms start popping up.

Typical treatment is antibiotics.

For more info, here is a good resource: Lyme Disease Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention, Advocacy (Lyme Info)

The article appears to suggest it is something different. Not to say that Lyme doesn't have similar symptoms as well. I know very little about either one of them. I do know that Lyme is heavily present in our region and we all need to be careful.