New Tick-Borne Parasites On the Rise in Metro Area

The infections from a relatively new tick-borne parasite in our region are steadily on the rise, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Babesiosis increased 20-fold between 2001 and 2008 in Hudson Valley suburbs — from 6 to 119 cases — the study revealed. Overall, those numbers are relatively low: last year, there were 265 cases in the entire state, which is roughly twice the number of West Nile Virus cases and about one-twentieth the number of Lyme Disease cases.

"At the rate that it's going we think that it will be emerging and increasing," said Dr. Julie Joseph, the study's author and a physician-researcher at New York Medical College in Westchester.

Joseph said it's not clear why the numbers are climbing. Deer populations are growing so there could be more ticks. Or it could simply be that more doctors are observing and diagnosing the illness, as awareness grows.

Like Lyme Disease, babesiois is carried by deer ticks. And though it can be serious, people most at risk are those with immune systems that are already compromised. This can include the elderly, people with AIDS, cancer and other illnesses.