Malaria-like parasite from ticks spreading to UK through dogs.

Babesiosis is a malaria-like parasitic disease transmitted by ticks ,it causes the immune system to destroy its own blood cells. This is very rare in humans but is quite common in mammals in some foreign countries. The symptoms include fever, weight loss, fast breathing ,lethargy ,jaundice and red colored urine.. Bites from ticks carrying babesia parasites infect red blood cells, damaging the cells directly, and also cause the dog’s immune system to attack its red blood cells. This leads to an anaemia which can be life-threatening. A tick typically needs to be attached to a dog for 24-48 hours to successfully transmit the disease. The prevention in pet travel restrictions is a major route of entry of the disease to the UK. It used to be compulsory for imported dogs to be treated for ticks before entering the UK and Ireland. This requirement was dropped in 2012 to comply with EU regulations. There are no vaccines for babesia available in the UK. Anti-tick medication can stop the spread of the ticks, also manual removal of ticks from dogs as soon as they are seen .This will prevent transmission of the parasite.