New York resident dies of a rare tickborne disease that can cause fatal brain infection
- A person in Hudson Valley, New York, has died from Powassan virus disease
- The virus is carried by deer ticks, which are common in the Eastern US, and cases in humans are rarely reported but on the rise
- In 2009 there were just six cases reported to the CDC, but last year there were 21
- When the virus attacks the brain it can cause life-threatening swelling, a disease state that kills one out of 10
- New York and US health officials caution people to check for ticks as the rate of tickborne diseases has surged by 300% in the lats decade
A New York resident has died after contracting a rare tickborne disease, health officials announced Thursday.
The unidentified resident is the first to die of Powassan virus in the state this year.
Powassan virus is spread by the common deer tick, which thrives throughout the Eastern half of the US.
People bitten by infected ticks can develop a life-threatening infection that attacks the brain, causing dangerous swelling for which there is no medication.
No more than 33 US cases have been reported in the last decade – but Powassan virus infections in the last decade, but they’ve increased sharply on the heals of climate change, putting health officials on high alert in New York and nationwide.
The blacklegged deer tick (pictured) is common in the Eastern US and can carry Powassan virus, which has claimed the life of one New York resident so far this year, the state reports
‘It is imperative that all residents take every precaution necessary against tick-borne illnesses, especially during outdoor activities,’ warned Dr Carol Smith, heath commissioner of Ulster County, where the ill-fated New York resident lived.
‘Residents should vigilantly check themselves and their pets for ticks and tick bites.’
In less than a decade, the number of counties that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers at high risk for Lyme disease – another potentially debilitating tickborne infection – has tripled.
There are now more ticks of each species in more areas, more species of ticks and more disease-causing germs carried by those ticks than in years past.
Cases of every major tickborne disease – including Lyme, anaplasmosis/ehrlichiosis, spotted fever rickettsiosis (including Rocky Mountain spotted fever), babesiosis, tularemia, and Powassan virus disease have all increased.
In 2016, the CDC received 48,610 reports of these illnesses.
The following year, there were 59,349 cases – a 22 percent spike.
Among these diseases, Powassan virus disease is one of the rarest, and scariest.
Many people bitten by Powassan-infected ticks will not develop symptoms, or will suffer only a minor illness.
But a small minority are badly affected by the virus, which reaches a disease state. They are often, but not always, people who already suffer an underlying illness.
In 2009, there were just six reported cases.
Last year, there were 21.
The virus first causes flu-like symptoms: fever, headache, nausea and weakness.
Once the infection starts to spread throughout the body, it can attack the brain. This may cause a sever and even life-threatening swelling condition called encephalitis, or an infection of the brain itself, called meningitis.
Progression becomes clear when neurological function starts to go haywire. Victims of the disease become confused, lose coordination, struggle to speak and may even suffer seizures.
And because Powassan is viral – not bacterial – there are no antibiotics or other drugs to treat it.
Doctors can do little more than keep the patient hydrated, hook them up to a ventilator if they are struggling to breathe, try to alleviate the swelling to their brains, wait and hope the worse of infection subsides.
Still, one in 10 people who catch Powassan from ticks dies from the disease, and about half of survivors are left with lasting health problems, including recurring headache, muscle weakness and loss and and memory problems.
In New York, cases – mostly minor – of Powassan virus number anywhere between zero and six each year.
The unnamed person who died this week in New York reportedly had underlying conditions, leaving him more vulnerable than most to the disease.
Nonetheless, the New York health department is warning residents to take extra precautions to avoid getting bitten or infected.
They advise anyone who will be outside in the Eastern half of the US where deer ticks are prevalent to wear DEET insect repellent, wear light colored clothing so ticks can be easily spotted and tuck pants into socks to make sure ticks don’t sneak into clothing.
Meanwhile, the state is increasingly concerned about mosquito carrying West Nile virus as well. Officials in Staten Island are spraying the borough to kill the insects, some of which have tested positive for the disease.
After time outside, be sure to do a thorough tick check – of yourself and your pets – and shower as soon as possible to wash off any insects that haven’t yet bitten.