New Tick-Borne Illness Found In The Upstate

While you're out enjoying the changing leaves this weekend be careful of ticks. Even more now because there is a new tick borne illness that sounds like a super Lyme disease that has been found in New York.

This disease is so new that doctors don't really even have a name for it. Right now it's known informally as Borrelia miyamotoi disease, or BMD. The illness, that is like Lyme disease and carried by the same species of tick, causes recurring fevers of up to 104 degrees, severe headaches and other flu-like symptoms.

Currently, there have been a couple cases here in New York according to an article in www.nyup.com and they are saying that about 3% of the deer tick population is infected with this disease.

"Few ticks in New York have been found to carry miyamotoi, but the numbers are likely to increase. Of the 7,600 ticks collected last year by the state Department of Health, just 58 had miyamotoi,"

So, what should you do about it? The same thing as Lyme disease. Wear long sleeve shirts and long pants while walking in the woods or tall grass and wear an incest repellent that has DEET in it.

Also, make sure to check your kids and pets when they come in from being outside.