The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Wednesday that a man from Sagadahoc County died after being infected with the Powassan virus, a tick-borne illness.
The man, identified as 58-year-old Robert Weymouth, of Topsham, was in Maine Medical Center for two weeks before he passed away, according to News Center Maine.
This is the first confirmed case of the virus in the state 2023.There have been three deaths in Maine from the virus since 2015.
Here's what you need to know about Powassan virus
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- Less than 200 cases were reported between 2011 and 2020, according to data collected by the CDC.
- Powassan virus can only be transmitted by the bite of an infected tick in the U.S., based on reported cases.
- Many people don't develop symptoms of Powassan virus, but occasionally, for those that do, the symptoms can be severe. "Typical symptoms early on are fever, headache, neck ache depending on what neural tissues are infected, and also vomiting," says Oliver. "As the disease progresses, it gets more severe, and so you get strong neurological involvement," like confusion and seizures.
- Unfortunately, there is no real cure for Powassan virus. Treatments are usually for symptoms that occur as a result of contracting it. No vaccines are available to prevent the illness either, according to the CDC.
- Cases commonly crop up in the upper Midwest, like Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the northeast, especially the New England area where Massachusetts is considered the northeastern epicenter of Powassan virus.
- Often, diseases like the Powassan virus more commonly affect older people. "This child was just one of the unlucky few who does develop the disease, but it can potentially affect anybody," Oliver says.
