Dog owners are being warned about an outbreak of an animal disease that is carried by ticks.
It is the first time that experts have established an outbreak of babesiosis in the country.
In Essex, one dog has died and three others are still seriously ill after contracting the disease.
Experts say that it will be impossible to stop the spread of the disease, which is caused by a single-celled parasite.
The ticks carrying the Babesia canis parasite have been found in fields in the UK. The local council has put up a sign with a map defining the area and advising dog walkers not to enter.
Two government agencies are now investigating the outbreak: the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Public Health England.
Clive Swainsbury is a vet at the Forest Veterinary Centre in Harlow. He has been treating some of infected dogs, including the one that died.
“The parasite enters the bloodstream, enters the cells, and in the process of trying to kill the parasite the dog will actually destroy its own blood cells. So they become very anaemic.”
TV naturalist Chris Packham says: “The population of ticks is getting bigger year on, year on. That’s because there is better over winter survival of the adults – it’s warm and mild through our winters and that means they can breed more quickly in the spring and there are a lot more of them.
These animals are very good at what they do, and they need to find hosts to suck its blood to reproduce, and they do it brilliantly. So if you walk in an area where there are ticks, with a dog, they will get on to your dog.”
There are several species of Babesia and some of them affect humans. In parts of the world including the United States, human babesiosis is transmitted by the same tick that carries Lyme Disease, caused by Borrelia bacteria.
“The first thing that dog owners can do to protect their animals is to be aware of the problem. Your dog could become very seriously ill or die, and if you get Lyme disease then the same could be the case for you.”