DOVER — For the first time in Delaware, a tick has tested positive for the Powassan virus, a potentially fatal infection that transmits quickly from parasite to host.
“You’re the first to hear this because I only just learned it,” Dr. Ashley Kennedy, state tick biologist with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, said. “A tick from Delaware has tested positive for something called Powassan virus, and this is a very scary infection. It can be fatal. There are neuroinvasive cases that are not treatable.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is caused by an infected tick bite, is rare but cases are increasing and there are no vaccines or medicines to treat an infection…