A local doctor is warning of a growing number of cases involving a relatively new bacterial infection in the area that is caused by ticks.
It’s called anaplasmosis nd infectious disease specialist Dr. John Love of the Butler Health System says it’s a tricky diagnosis because it resembles illnesses like Lyme disease and COVID.
“Honestly, people who get anaplasmosis feel acutely ill. They feel like they have the flu, or they may feel like they have COVID, which makes things really difficult right now,” Love said. “So the leading symptoms are fever, which can be very high like 102 or 103, headaches, muscle aches, and maybe even nausea.”
Love says while the number of cases isn’t extraordinarily high, it’s becoming more prevalent.
“In 2019 [the Department of Health] had zero cases of anaplasmosis diagnosed in Butler County. In 2020 we had seven cases. To date, through Butler Memorial’s lab alone, we’ve had 18 already this year,” Love said.
Love says he’s working to inform personal care physicians of this growing trend so they know what to look for in sick patients.
Hear Dr. Love’s full interview with Butler Radio’s Tracey Morgan below: