NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — If you’re already ticked off about the hot weather, wait until you hear about this — the tick-borne-illness, babesiosis, has landed in the Hampton Roads area, according to Old Dominion University’s Tick Research Team.
The group of research experts have discovered carriers of the disease, black-legged ticks, in Portsmouth, Chesapeake and the Eastern Shore. These ticks are also widely known for transmitting Lyme disease to humans.
Babesiosis is caused by a microscopic parasite that infects red blood cells, and all it takes is one bite to transmit the malaria-like disease. According to the Virginia Department of Health, severe cases may result in death, especially with immunocompromised patients…