Powassan virus - another tick-borne disease

The photo is humorous, but the disease is real.  Info from the Minnesota Star Tribune:

While the Powassan virus is uncommon compared to other tick-borne diseases in the state, it is among the most serious, said Elizabeth Schiffman, epidemiologist supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Carried by blacklegged ticks (more commonly known as deer ticks) the Powassan virus can cause neurological damage and, in rare cases, death.

Last year, there were 14 reported cases in Minnesota — the highest reported since recordkeeping on the disease started in 2008, according to MDH data. In 2011, the state recorded the first death caused by the virus after a woman in her 60s died of a brain infection...

About 10% of people who are clinically diagnosed with the virus die, Aliota said. Those who survive a severe bout of the virus may suffer long-term symptoms like headaches and memory problems...

In Minnesota, the risk of getting bitten by blacklegged ticks starts as the weather warms up in the spring, Schiffman said.  Because an adult blacklegged tick is about the size of a sesame seed and younger ones are even smaller, it can be hard to spot them before they bite...

Because there is no medicine to treat the virus, the best ways to protect against bites are pre-treating clothing and gear with permethrin-based repellents and using insect repellents on the skin, Schiffman said. It’s best to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Wearing light-colored clothing can help with spotting ticks...

“One of the reasons there are so few cases and that we don’t know as much about it as we do some of the other infections people get is because testing isn’t widely available for Powassan,” she said. “I think there’s probably a lot of people that could have it, especially in those mild cases, and they’re not ever getting it detected and reported.”

This is a black-legged tick (credit (James Gathany/CDC via AP):