Windham man suffers state’s first case of tick-borne Powassan virus

A Connecticut man has tested positive for the tick-borne Powassan virus, the state’s first case of the year.

The unidentified Windham resident, who is in his 50s, became ill at the end of March, the state Department of Public Health announced Wednesday. Tests performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado, confirmed the presence of antibodies to the virus.

The patient was hospitalized with a central nervous system disease and had a known tick bite, officials said. He has been discharged and is recovering at home.

From 2017 to 2021, 12 cases of Powassan virus-associated illness were reported in Connecticut, including three in 2021. Of those total cases, two were fatal.

“The identification of a Connecticut resident with Powassan virus-associated illness emphasizes the need to take actions to prevent tick bites from now through the late fall,” state Health Commissioner Dr.

Manisha Juthani said. “Using insect repellent, avoiding areas where ticks are likely and checking carefully for ticks after being outside can reduce the chance of you or your children being infected with this virus.”

The virus usually is spread through the bite of an infected black-legged or deer tick, the same parasite that transmits Lyme disease. It takes a week to one month after the bite for a person to develop symptoms of a Powassan virus-associated disease. The virus can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes after the tick first attaches.

While most people infected with the virus likely experience no symptoms or a mild flu-like illness, some people will develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system. About one out of 10 cases of severe illness are fatal and about half of survivors experience longterm health problems.

Severe cases may begin with fever, vomiting, headache, or weakness and rapidly progress to confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking or seizures. There is no vaccine nor a specific treatment for Powassan virus-associated illness. Severe illness is treated by supportive therapy which may include hospitalization, respiratory support, and hydration.

Ticks are a growing menace in Connecticut, spreading Lyme disease and other serious maladies as continued warming allows the blood-sucking parasites to survive and thrive.

State scientist and tick expert Goudarz Molaei of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has called the tick situation in Connecticut “a major public health concern.” Compared with past years, Molaei said Tuesday, many more ticks were sent to the Experiment Station’s testing laboratory in 2021, mostly deer ticks that may carry Lyme disease.

Submissions last year from residents, health departments and physicians’ offices totaled 5,685 ticks, compared with an annual average of 3,000 submissions. So far this year, Molaei said, the lab

has received 641 tick submissions.