Heartworm disease and the tick-borne illnesses Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are predicted to expand across the United States in 2024, according to the Companion Animal Parasite Council’s annual report.
“What was true before may not be true today when it comes to the local threat of parasites to our pets and families,” said CAPC President Dr. Heather Walden, a professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “Over the past 12 years, we have seen the movement of parasitic diseases and the vectors that carry them expand to new areas, signaling the need for pet owners to test their pets every year and protect them year-round.”
Among the report’s key takeaways are these:
Lyme Disease
- Its distribution continues to expand south and west from historically high-risk areas.
- High-risk hot spots are predicted in northern and southwestern lower Michigan and southern Indiana.
- For the first time, Lyme forecasts include eastern Montana.
Heartworm Disease
- Its prevalence is pushing into the northeastern mid-Atlantic region.
- New Mexico, large portions of Colorado, the northern Great Plains, Northern California, western North Dakota, eastern Montana and northwest South Dakota are likely to experience an increased disease risk.
- Few regions will see below-average prevalence.
Ehrlichiosis
- High-prevalence areas are more widespread nationwide and less defined than with other vector-borne pathogens.
- Seropositive dogs are expected to increase in central California, northern Idaho, western Montana, western and central Washington, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
Anaplasmosis
- Its prevalence is expected to remain high throughout the Northeast, with increases predicted in western Michigan, eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee and northwestern North Carolina.
- Regions of California, Texas and the Great Plains are predicted to experience increases.
The CAPC posts monthly prevalence maps at petdiseasealerts.org. The organization’s complete 2024 forecast is at bit.ly/3vKvEdY.
“While our nationwide annual forecasts help us track the progression of diseases, our monthly forecasts help pet owners understand immediate threats in their neighborhoods,” said Dr. Christopher Carpenter, the council’s CEO.
“The zoonotic potential of parasites to transmit diseases between animals and humans underscores the importance of CAPC’s annual and 30-day forecasts to alert communities to the risk they pose to people and pets locally.”