As the weather is getting warmer more people are spending time outside and that means the risk for tick-borne illnesses is on the rise.

There’s a new risk that comes along with the parasites, however. Maryland and surrounding states are seeing cases of Babesiosis, a disease passed on by parasites and blood transfusions.

The disease was previously relegated to the Northeast and Midwest, but numbers have been inching up in the region over the last few years. There were only nine cases in Maryland last year, but it’s an upward trend from years past.

“I do think that we will see more cases in the future,” said Dr. Kalpana Shere-Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “There is a change that's occurring with tick borne illnesses and ticks in general, and some of it may have to do with climate change.”

Shere-Wolfe said it’s not just weather patterns, it’s also changes in deer populations and tree replanting that is skewing the tick population.

Babesiosis is mostly asymptomatic, but for select populations it can be dangerous. It presents with flu-like symptoms that can often be confused with other diseases.

Babesiosis can be treated with antibiotics, but not the same type as Lyme Disease.

In extreme cases the disease can lead to anemia or even organ failure. People who do not have a spleen are at acute risk.

Shere-Wolfe says people in vulnerable populations should take extra precautions if they have been out in tall grassy areas and are feeling ill.