Maine health officials have reported the first death this year from an incurable tick-borne disease, putting Americans on alert as hot weather outdoor activities kick off.
Robert J. Weymouth, a 58-year-old man from Topsham, Maine, died of complications from the Powassan virus, which caused severe neurological problems, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease is extremely rare with around 25 cases reported each year since 2015, but it is also incurable and can lead to serious health problems, including infection of the brain, called encephalitis, or the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, known under the name of meningitis. .
Many people infected with the virus do not develop symptoms, but those who do usually notice them up to a month after being bitten by an infected tick, which can include flu-like symptoms, seizures, swelling of the brain and, in up to 15 percent of cases, death.
Weymouth’s death marks Powassan’s third death in Maine since 2015, and as winters get warmer and shorter, the world is becoming a more hospitable place for disease-causing ticks.
Robert Weymouth died after approximately two weeks in hospital. His medical team only discovered too late that the swelling in his brain was caused by the Powassan virus
The tick that is Powassan’s main spreader is Ixodes scapularis, also known as the blacklegged tick or deer tick as it appears on deer.
In the United States, Powassan disease has been detected primarily in the northeastern states and the Great Lakes region
Maine officials are warning residents to beware of ticks when going outside, especially in wooded, leafy and shrubby areas.
Deer ticks, which carry the Powassan virus, thrive in temperatures above 45°F and in areas with at least 85% humidity. Shorter winters are expected to extend the period of tick activity each year, increasing the time humans could be exposed to diseases such as Powassan and Lyme.
The Powassan virus typically kills around one in 10 people who are infected, but the virus can be much more dangerous in older people and people with weakened immune systems.
Powassan virus is rarely diagnosed – only a few dozen cases are detected each year – because the majority of people who contract the virus are asymptomatic.
Annemarie Weymouth, Robert’s widow, told a local Maine news outlet that her husband was immunocompromised and suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. He did not go to hospital initially for Powassan’s symptoms.
Mr Weymouth visited Maine Medical Center when he noticed swelling in his arm as well as a knee problem requiring surgery. But then he lost all feeling on the right side of his body.
Shortly after, an MRI revealed that Mr Weymouth had severe brain swelling, indicating that the virus had reached an advanced stage. A lumbar puncture confirmed the culprit to be the tick-borne virus.
Because many people infected with the Powassan virus have no symptoms, doctors often aren’t able to focus on this possible diagnosis until they perform complete blood or brain fluid tests. – spinal.
Mr Weymouth’s widow said she was frustrated with how little doctors around her husband knew about the disease. He was in the hospital for weeks before the medical team determined he had the virus.
By the time they determined Mr Weymouth tested positive for Powassan, it was too late.
His widow said: “Although they knew from day one it was Powassan, there is no known cure for it.”
She added: “I think if we knew this disease existed, we would have been more diligent. We check for ticks but would have used more spray and been very careful.
Maps showing the spread of the Powassan virus in northeastern America
The tick that is Powassan’s main spreader is Ixodes scapularis, also known as the blacklegged tick or deer tick as it appears on deer.
The hard-bodied blacklegged tick lives in the eastern and northern Midwestern United States as well as southeastern Canada, and also carries Lyme disease.
Ticks are most common in wooded areas, of which Maine has plenty.
Currently, there is no vaccine or medicine for the disease, with treatment instead focusing on alleviating symptoms, including breathing difficulties and brain swelling.
There are two types of Powassan virus: lineage 1 and lineage 2. Only lineage 2 is carried by the blacklegged tick.
Cases typically occur when ticks are most active in late spring, early summer, and mid-fall, primarily in northeastern states and the Great Lakes region.