Massachusetts ranks highest in U.S. with cases of life-threatening Powassan virus in ticks

According to the CDC, many people infected with the Powassan virus do not have symptoms however those who do would include fever, headache, vomiting, and weakness. A severe infection may lead to infection of the brain and meningitis which could affect 1 out of 10 people.

In 2023, Massachusetts had the number of cases of Powassan virus disease reported in the U.S. A total of 44 human cases, 10 of them from Massachusetts. There were six in Middlesex County, 1 in each Essex, Norfolk, Barnstable, and Hampshire counties.

Detecting Powassan virus in ticks at UMass Amherst

Researchers at the New England Regional Center of Vector-Borne Diseases at the University of Massachusetts Amherst conducted a survey in regions in Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. They used a new "Triplex Real-Time PCR" to compare with the standard method of testing which proved to be more accurate for detecting ticks with the Powassan virus.

"Powassan has been a growing concern in New England for the past several years and false negatives can confound efforts to surveil," says vector-borne disease expert Stephen Rich, professor of microbiology at UMass Amherst and principal investigator and executive director of NEWVEC. "The development of sensitive detection methods for diagnostics and surveillance is critical."

He adds, "What we're trying to do is we're looking at the number of people that get sick from Powassan virus and then we are trying to tease back and figure out how many ticks actually have that virus and give it to people," said Rich. "This test goes a long way to try to figure that out."

He hopes this will prevent Powassan virus infections in Massachusetts and other areas where the virus has been reported. According to a news release sent to 22News from UMass Amherst, the team collected 819 ticks and 33 (4.03%) tested positive for the Powassan virus.

A total of 13 sites were surveyed, the virus was found at four of six sites in Cape Cod and two of seven sites in Martha's Vineyard. More than 10% were from Truro on Cape Cod.

In the areas surveyed, "We found pockets of high incidence of this virus. Powassan virus is only a threat to people through the bite of a tick. That's why these highly accurate and sensitive tests of the tick are so valuable in assessing where and when the risk of exposure is highest," Rich says.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself from being exposed including checking yourself, pets, and children for ticks when you get back from your hike. Wearing deet and tucking your clothes in, like pulling your socks over your pants, also help.

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