Tick-borne Powassan virus creeps into Minnesota

Reports of Powassan virus a potentially fatal tick-borne illness that can have permanent neurological effects are increasing across the country including in Minnesota which had verified cases in Though the aggressive and fast transmissible virus is rare general fitness bureaucrats are urging precautions as tick season approaches What we try to remind people is yes it s scary but it is really rare announced Elizabeth Schiffman a Minnesota Department of Robustness epidemiologist specializing in mosquito- and tick-transmitted diseases Don t forget to do all those prevention things that we talk about that no one ever wants to do because they re boring and not fun Do your tick checks Know when your peril is highest Powassan virus is primarily transmitted to humans by one of Minnesota s tick species the blacklegged tick also known as the deer tick Markers of Powassan include seizures paralysis speech difficulties and in severe infections meningitis and brain inflammation An estimated to of Powassan virus cases are fatal and around half of infected individuals sustain long-term neurological problems such as recurring headaches and memory issues There are no treatments or vaccines for Powassan It replicates in neurons and it replicates in cells that are in brain cells and so through simple destructive processes in the brain you re going to have downstream effects that impact in these long-term cognitive impacts reported Matthew Aliota professor at the University of Minnesota Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Powassan has the maximum to invade the central nervous system to cross the blood brain barrier and to infect brain cells and that can have really bad long-term consequences Aliota received a million grant from the National Institutes of Medical in to assess the probable general hazard of and build a foundational understanding of Powassan focusing on Minnesota and New York two of the country s Powassan epicenters The Centers for Malady Control and Prevention communicated human cases across states in This really has been an understudied virus to date and the number of cases have been increasing over the past say to years he noted Selected of this is related to better recognition by clinicians but chosen of it I think is just ecology as well a true increase Powassan is often compared to Lyme ailment because both are spread by blacklegged ticks but Aliota says the two are apples to oranges Lyme condition is significantly more common than Powassan and is not a virus Undated courtesy photo circa of the pathognomonic erythematous rash in the pattern of a bull s-eye referred to as erythema migrans The rash manifested at the site of a tick bite on this Maryland woman s arm signifying a occurrence of Lyme ailment James Gathany Centers for Sickness Control and Prevention Lyme complaint is spread by Borrelia burgdorferi a bacteria a tick acquires when feeding on white-footed mice These comparisons have led several to believe possibly incorrectly that the white-footed mouse is also a reservoir for Powassan It is unknown which tick host animal harbors Powassan a few ticks are also born with the virus People have just assumed that that mouse is the same host for Powassan as well but we don t know that Aliota disclosed That s one of the questions that my lab is trying to answer Reasons for increasing Powassan reports may include more abundant animals for ticks to prey on white-tailed deer a favorite host of the blacklegged tick have larger numbers in the state than in past decades In addition more people may live near deer ticks than compared to a meager decades ago As housing developments are built and expanded more people encroach on tick habitats Several suburbs have wooded pockets on their edges and these forest fragments place ticks close to people It kind of creates this ideal habitat for encounters between humans and this tick species Aliota explained To increase awareness of Powassan Minnesota Department of Vitality epidemiologists like Schiffman frequently give presentations to inform vitality care providers healthcare associations and the residents about the virus So it s about hammering home that messaging like Well when we talk about tick-borne diseases it s more than just Lyme disorder she declared We talk with providers Here s how you find these rare cases and if you have a person who you can t figure out what they have please loop us in at MVH we d love to help you sort out what might be causing that person s illness Related Articles Trump whacks tiny agency that works to make the nation s physical condition care safer Tribes long shut out from their own vitality details fight for access and sovereignty Medicaid cuts could hurt older adults who rely on home care nursing homes Federal judge blocks Trump s population vitality cuts including M in Minn Shingles is awful but there may be another reason to get vaccinated It may fight dementia People who exhibit mild or no responses are less likely to seek testing and for patients who are tested the virus rarity may lead chosen doctors to overlook the possibility of Powassan The majority diagnostic labs in the state are unable to screen for Powassan meaning doctors must send blood work to places like Mayo Clinic or the Minnesota Department of Strength for detection I think with the way that we capture these cases and the way we do surveillance we re kind of biased towards the more severe cases Schiffman reported We re perhaps missing particular of the milder ones just as an artifact of how that testing is done That bias may extend to the age demographics of infected individuals More than of cases published nationally within the past two decades occurred in people age or older We also tend to see a lot of people who are older and who have those immunosuppressive conditions in our situation population that we review on because they re also more likely to be the ones who get sicker Schiffman mentioned If you re sicker you re possibly more likely to be tested So you re definitely biasing the content in that way The Minnesota Department of Vitality recommends being aware of areas at high liability of tick activity using Environmental Protection Agency-registered tick repellent epa gov insect-repellents find-repellent-right-you and diligently checking the skin and clothing after outdoor sessions