What Is Powassan Virus? More Serious Than Lyme, Experts Say This Disease Could Boom During Tick Season
The summer season is fast approaching bringing BBQs, camping trips and a deadly virus. Spread by ticks, Powassan is more rare but also far more serious than the familiar Lyme disease. As we previously wrote, experts believe the tick population will be abundant this summer due to the warmer winter season.
Read:Lyme Disease Outlook 2017: Why The Risk For Tick-Spread Condition Is Growing
According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 75 cases of the virus were reported here in the United States over the past decade. About 10 percent of cases are fatal, but many survivors suffer long-term neurological problems, like headaches and muscle and memory loss.
Last month,five-month-old baby Liam Phillips of Connecticut was diagnosed with Powassan, making him the first case in the state, writes NBC. In a report from the CDC, the infant became sick in November 2016, exhibiting a fever and vomiting. Facial twitches developed into seizures, and the boy’s right arm stiffened up. The child had not traveled, but parents believe Liam was bitten by a tick brought into the home via clothing.
Although infection rates are low, some worry that numbers will rise.
“The bottom line is that we should be very scared of it because nobody is safe from it,” Dr. Jennifer Lyons, assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, tells the Today Show. “And it could be that it is emerging and will explode over the next few years.”
The show reports that Powassan has more recently been discovered in deer ticks, which could further the problem.
“It’s no longer a disease that’s just caused by a tick species that hardly ever bites people,” Durland Fish, professor emeritus of epidemiology and microbiology at the Yale School of Public Health, tells the outlet. “Now it’s being transmitted by a tick species that bites people readily. And that’s not good. This is a disease that there is no treatment for and that you can die from.”
Symptoms of the virus include fever, headaches, vomiting, seizures and troubles with speaking and coordination. These can show up anywhere from one week to one month post transmission.
Currently, there are no treatment or prevention options, but the best way to reduce your risk is to steer clear of ticks, which is easier for some than others. Those living in the Great Lakes and northeastern U.S. should be more cautious as well as those who spend a lot of time in more remote, plant-filled areas. The CDC recommends using bug repellent that contains at least 20 percent of DEET, picaridin or IR3535, three common ingredients known to work best. Avoid walking through heavily wooded areas, check yourself and pets for ticks once inside, and run your clothes through the dryer set on high.
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