2023-05-18 13:43:00
To UNITED STATESthe Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) has confirmed a fatal case of the disease virus Powassan at a resident of Sagadahoc County. The adult developed neurological symptoms and died in hospital after being infected, likely in the Maine.
This is the first case of this tick-borne disease identified in the state this year. Maine has identified 15 cases since 2015, including four in 2022. Two of the people who contracted Powassan in 2022 died from the disease, making it the third Powassan-related death recorded in Maine since 2015.
Reminders on the virus Powassan.
The virus Powassan of the kind Flavivirus is transmitted to humans by infected ticks (Ixodes). It is responsible for a disease with neurological tropism. Apart from humans, many animals can harbor this virus: groundhogs, hares, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks, as well as domestic cats and dogs.
The disease is present in North America (Canada and the United States) and in Russia. In the United States, 202 cases have been reported between 2012 and 2021.
The disease occurs mainly in rural and forest areas with a seasonal occurrence (maximum transmission from June to September, corresponding with the activity of ticks that serve as vectors. Three types of ticks spread the Powassan virus and are found mainly in half eastern United States: Ixodes cookei (groundhog tick), Ixodes marxi (squirrel tick), and Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick or deer tick).
Many people infected with the Powassan virus have no symptoms.
For people with symptoms, after an incubation of 7 to 30 days, the first symptoms appear which can be fever, headache, vomiting and fatigue. Powassan virus can cause serious illness, including infection of the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). Symptoms then include confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking and seizures.
About one in ten people with severe disease die from it, and nearly half of people who survive severe disease have long-term health problems such as recurrent headaches, loss of body mass and muscle strength and memory problems.
To reduce the risk of being infected, the traveler is advised to:
- wear clothing covering the skin and socks going up on the bottom of the pants;
- walk in the center of the trails to avoid grass and bushes;
- use a repellent containing 50% DEET on exposed parts;
- check regularly after a few hours for the absence of ticks on the body (thighs, arms, armpits and legs);
- if a tick is present, remove it using “tick tweezers” by grasping it as close to the skin as possible and pulling gradually (avoid crushing the tick, burning or applying various substances);
- wash and disinfect the sting area and hands.
In case of fever, redness of the skin (in the form of a ring) or other new symptoms after a tick bite, consult a doctor quickly.
Source : Outbreak News Today
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