Report within 24 hours of Diagnosis to the Local Health Department.
Babesiosis is an illness caused by a parasite that is carried by ticks. This parasite infects red blood cells. People become infected from the bite of an infected tick, a contaminated blood transfusion or an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy or delivery. Common early symptoms may include fever, chills, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue or a low red blood cell count (anemia). Examples of prevention measures include avoiding wooded areas with dense shrubs and leaf litter, wearing protective clothing, using insect repellents, performing tick checks and by mowing the lawn and keeping shrubs trimmed. Effective treatments such as a combination of drugs that kill parasites are available.
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