Human Case Of Rare Tick-Borne Disease Powassan Discovered In Rhode Island

KENT COUNTY, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) on Thursday confirmed a case of the rare tick-borne Powassan virus was detected in a state resident.

According to RIDOH officials, the Rhode Island resident who tested positive for the virus was a man in his 70s who lives in Kent County. He began experiencing symptoms of Powassan in late January and is recovering at home, state health officials said.

"With spring around the corner, we all need to be thinking about tick prevention measures when outdoors," interim RIDOH Director Utpala Bandy said. "Repel and reduce your exposure to ticks, check your body for ticks, and be sure to remove ticks if you find one on yourself, a family member, or a pet. Ticks are tiny. You may not be able to feel them or spot them right away. The sooner you find and remove them, the better your chances are at preventing the serious health issues caused by illnesses like Powassan and Lyme disease."

Powassan is most often found in the Northeast, Great Lakes region and parts of eastern Canada. Over the past 10 years, approximately 239 cases were identified in the United States. While the disease is rare, cases have increased in recent years, RIDOH officials said.

More than 269 cases of Powassan have been reported in the United States in the past 10 years. In 2023, there were 25 cases of Powassan reported in New England: 10 cases in Massachusetts, five cases in Connecticut, five cases in Maine, three cases in New Hampshire, one case in Vermont, and one case in Rhode Island. The Powassen case in Rhode Island proved deadly, killing a woman in her 80s from Washington County.

Common symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, vomiting and a general feeling of weakness. The disease usually progresses to meningoencephalitis, which may include meningeal signs, altered mental status, seizures, difficulty understanding or speaking, muscle weakness or paralysis, movement disorders or cranial nerve palsies, RIDOH said. Serious cases often require hospitalization.

Follow these tips from the Rhode Island departments of health and environmental management to repel, check for and remove ticks when spending time outdoors. Read more on the Department of Health's website.

Repel

• Avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaves. If you are going to be in a wooded area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaves at the edges of the trail. You can also spray your clothes with permethrin to keep ticks away. Make sure to not spray this on your skin.
• Wearing long pants and long-sleeve shirts when outside.
• Tucking your pants into your socks, so ticks do not crawl under your clothes.
• Wearing light-colored clothing, so you can see ticks more easily.

Check

• Taking a shower as soon as you come inside if you have been in grassy or wooded areas.
• Doing a full-body tick check using a mirror; parents should check their kids for ticks and pay special attention to the area in and around the ears, in the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and in their hair.
• Checking your pets for ticks as well because they can bring ticks into the home.

Remove

• Use a set of tweezers to remove the tick. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up.
• If you don't have tweezers, use your fingers with a tissue or rubber gloves.

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