A rare and life-threatening disease called babesiosis is slowly spreading in Canada with the help of an eight-legged, blood-sucking arachnid — the blacklegged tick.
The blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, can transmit babesiosis, an infection similar to malaria. Although rare in Canada, this tick-borne illness is becoming more prevalent in some provinces and in parts of the northeast United States.
Babesiosis can be a serious, fatal disease, especially for the elderly and people who are immunosuppressed, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can also cause life-threatening complications, including renal, liver and heart failure and respiratory distress syndrome.