Ticks carry more than Lyme disease. Here’s what you need to know about babesiosis and Powassan - Northeastern University College of Science

Beware, the tiny deer ticks emerging with warmer spring weather carry a lot more than Lyme disease.

They also transmit a malarial-like potentially serious disease called babesiosis that has seen significant spread across the Northeast and Midwest, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For example, cases of babesiosis increased by 1,602% in Vermont and 1,422% in Maine from 2011 to 2019.

And that’s not all. Deer ticks increasingly carry the Powassan virus, which the CDC says resulted in 267 hospitalizations and 36 deaths from 2004 to 2022. In fact, it’s deadly in 10% of people with a severe form of the illness.

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