Man infected by deadly and rare brain virus which has no vaccine after tick bite
dailystar.co.uktick is recovering from a deadly brain virus just three weeks after a death from the same virus was reported.The unnamed American man in his fifties was hospitalised after falling ill in March, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH).The extremely rare Powassan virus attacks the brain and nervous system and there is currently no vaccine or effective treatments against it.The death three weeks ago came in the nearby state of Maine, meaning that America's Northeast has had two high profile cases in less than a month.Humans are typically infected with the Powassan virus via tick or woodchuck bites.People were urged to take precautions after it was confirmed that the man in the most recent case was bitten by a tick.Dr Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the DPH, said in a statement: "The identification of a Connecticut resident with Powassan virus associated illness emphasises the need to take actions to prevent tick bites from now through the late fall."Using insect repellent, avoiding areas where ticks are likely, and checking carefully for ticks after being outside can reduce the chance of you or your children being infected with this virus."Symptoms of the virus include fever, headaches, vomiting, weakness, seizures, swelling of the brain and meningitis.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.It often takes between a week and a month after the bite for people to experience those symptoms, and officials say that half of infected persons will suffer long term symptoms as well.Terrifyingly, around one in 10 people who suffer from the Powassan virus will die.Many of those infected will not even realise as the majority.
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