Is Tick-Borne Virus 'More Deadly Than Lyme' A Concern for Massachusetts?

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT

You put the shovels away, the driving conditions are better, and you can turn down the thermostat. Spring is here and we are welcoming a lot of things we’ve longed for through the snowy season. But it also means more time outside, and a time where bugs and creatures resurface and make themselves known.

That includes ticks. And that bites.

While most are well-aware of risks, symptoms and other facts surrounding the the tick-borne Lyme Disease, fewer have heard of the Powassan virus. Experts say the virus is potentially more dangerous than Lyme, and sometimes deadly. And its reared its small, pointy, angry head this season already in Connecticut, reported NBC Connecticut.

“Human cases of the virus have been reported in other states in the northeast, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine,” said NBC.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2004 to 2013, one case of the virus had been reported in Massachusetts. Two were reported in Maine, one in New Hampshire, one in New Jersey, 17 in New York, one in Pennsylvania, one in Virginia, 13 in Wisconsin and 20 in Minnesota.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports a total of four cases in Massachusetts through 2015.

“Powassan is a rare, and potentially serious, tick-borne illness,” said Omar Cabrera, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Massachusetts has only seen a handful of cases over the past several years.”

It has been known to officials that ticks have been infected with the Powassan virus in Massachusetts at least since 1997. But the number of cases is too small to be able to “draw any conclusions about the true nature of this disease in Massachusetts,” said Cabrera.

The number, in fact, is also so small that MDPH is not releasing specific information about the cases due to privacy and confidentiality concerns, he added.

“Testing for this virus had, until recently, required sending samples to a CDC laboratory,” said Cabrera. “However, MDPH’s Hinton State Laboratory has recently validated the test for use on Massachusetts residents, making testing more readily available.”

Here is a list of tips to prevent tick bites, via the CDC:

Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks

• Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.

Walk in the center of trails.

Repel Ticks with DEET or Permethrin

• Use repellents that contain 20 to 30% DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on exposed skin and clothing for protection that lasts up to several hours. Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth.
• Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and may be protective longer.

Find and Remove Ticks from Your Body

• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.
• Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.
• Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs.
• Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to kill remaining ticks. (Some research suggests that shorter drying times may also be effective, particularly if the clothing is not wet.)

“The best protection against any tick-borne illness is personal protection,” said Cabrera. “Ticks are most active during warm weather, generally late spring through fall. Prevention is the most important tool to reduce chances of being bitten by any tick. When outside, use a repellent and cover yourself. After spending time in an area likely to have ticks, check yourself, your children and pets for ticks. If you have been someplace likely to have ticks and you develop symptoms of any disease carried by ticks, see your health care provider right away.”

Patch file photo