Here are six rare diseases that experts have identified in the U.S. so far in 2023:
- In July, North Carolina researchers detected an infection in larval trombiculid mites — sometimes called 'chiggers' — caused by bacteria that has not previously been in the U.S.
- While rare, infections caused by Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba, are on the rise in states where they have not previously been seen before.
- In June, a North Carolina woman contracted necrotizing fasciitis — also known as flesh-eating disease.
- In May, a Maine resident died from Powassan virus, a rare tick-borne disease.
- Blastomycosis, which typically exists as mold in soil or decaying wood, caused a rare fungal infection outbreak at a Michigan paper mill in April that infected more than 90 workers.
- In March, the CDC investigated 391 known cases of "children with acute hepatitis of unknown etiology" across 46 states and jurisdictions.