Tick-borne diseases on rise in Hudson Valley
A tick-borne disease called babesiosis continues to rise
in the Hudson Valley, in Westchester, Dutchess, and Ulster. Symptoms include
fever, tiredness, headache, sweating, and muscle pain.
About 20 people in the region have been hospitalized and
at least one has died from the growing illness.
Dr. Gary Wormser of New York Medical College said that
cases of babesiosis weren't even seen in the region 10 years ago.
As with Lyme disease, the culprit is the deer tick. But
you don't have to be exposed to a tick to get it. A pregnant woman from Ulster
County gave it to her baby. The infection can also be spread through donated
blood.
Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect
red blood cells, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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