[FOX5NY] Officials say a 55-year-old Connecticut man died after contracting a tick-borne illness.The state medical examiner's office says Michael Yoder, of New Milford, died Aug. 8 of liver and kidney failure after contracting Babesiosis from a tick bite.
Yoder's wife, Wendy, tells The News-Times her husband had a stomach bug for weeks, but by the time he was diagnosed it was too late.
Babesiosis is a disease caused by a parasite that gives people flu-like symptoms. In severe cases, the disease can cause anemia that leads to organ failure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported an increase in Babesiosis cases in the state, from 74 in 2011 to 205 in 2014. Still, fatal cases remain low with one death reported in 2015 and in 2016.
The CDC says that Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells and are spread by certain ticks. In the United States, tickborne transmission is most common in particular regions and seasons: it mainly occurs in parts of the Northeast and upper Midwest and usually peaks during the warm months.