Overview
Babesiosis is a tickborne disease that can be found worldwide. Most cases of the disease have been reported in the coastal areas of the northeastern United States. Because many people with babesiosis have mild or no symptoms, it’s difficult for health experts to estimate how many people in this country have been infected. People with babesiosis can be infected with another tickborne disease, such as Lyme disease (PDF), ehrlichiosis, or anaplasmosis, at the same time.
In most people, babesiosis is a mild disease. It can, however, be very serious or even fatal. Those who suffer the most serious cases include the elderly, people who don’t have a spleen, transplant patients, and those with other diseases associated with immunosuppression, such as HIV infection.