Previously, the disease was considered endemic in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. A recent CDC report found babesiosis is now endemic in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as well.
Between 2011 and 2019, 10 states have reported a rise in babesiosis cases, and only two observed declines: Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The report found “an unfortunate milestone in the emergence of babesiosis in the United States,” Peter Krause, MD, a senior research scientist at the Yale School of Public Health, told NBC News. “More cases means more illness, and actually, some people die.”