--- title: Powassan Virus Also Spread By Ticks, More Dangerous than Lyme Disease description: Ticks in the Northeast and around the Great Lakes are carrying the Powassan virus, which can cause encephalitis and meningitis canonical: https://time.com/3817208/powassan-virus-ticks-lyme-disease/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-10T15:38:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:27.010Z article:section: Health og:title: A Virus Spread by Ticks Could Be More Dangerous Than Lyme Disease og:description: There is no cure for Powassan virus og:url: https://time.com/3817208/powassan-virus-ticks-lyme-disease/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Virus Spread by Ticks Could Be More Dangerous Than Lyme Disease twitter:description: There is no cure for Powassan virus twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # A Virus Spread by Ticks Could Be More Dangerous Than Lyme Disease > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=a29f3445-695b-4b62-a758-b9b43d572570&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life [Watch (HLS stream): The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/orlnwhNb.m3u8) (7:08)  _Published 2014-05-23. Here's how the people of Ikaria, Greece reach old age_  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Apr 10, 2015 3:38 PM UTC  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Apr 10, 2015 3:38 PM UTC Don’t just worry about Lyme disease this summer—Powassan virus is also spread by ticks, and doctors say it could be much more dangerous. Ticks in the Northeast and around the Great Lakes are carrying the Powassan virus, which can cause encephalitis and meningitis, leaving about half of survivors with permanent neurological symptoms. According to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ](http://www.cdc.gov/powassan/symptoms.html)about 10% of Powassan virus cases are fatal. Doctors told [CBS2 ](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/powassan-virus-spread-by-ticks-could-be-worse-than-lyme-disease/)that symptoms of Powassan are similar to Lyme disease, but much more severe, and that the patients can start exhibiting symptoms—including vomiting, fever, confusion and weakness—just minutes after infection. There is no known treatment or cure. Powassan is still much less common than Lyme disease. There were only 12 reported cases in 2013, the highest number since 2004 (there were also 12 cases in 2011), according to the [CDC. ](http://www.cdc.gov/powassan/symptoms.html) \[h/T [CBS2](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/powassan-virus-spread-by-ticks-could-be-worse-than-lyme-disease/)\] ## Transcript [ MUSIC ]. Ikaria is a very unique island. The people are not what you would find in other places, they have a different lifestyle, a different way of looking at life. We might seem like we're not getting things done, or we might be moving slowly, but we just move at our own pace and things do get done in the end. Being Ikaria is an identity unto itself. [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ] People wanna live long, it's natural. Life is a gift, and people want to enjoy it. [ MUSIC ] Unfortunately, you know, Athens is not a carrier. Athens is a big city, people are crowded, crowding alone is a major stress. It's difficult to live there, connected life. There is a lot of obesity, there is a lot of anxiety. We've started already to be seeing the results of stress. In Ikaria they're not crowded, they have the water right next to them. Just the environment where they live, it's better. [ FOREIGN ] [ INAUDIBLE ]. [ FOREIGN ]. It's the people of Ikaria that make the difference, the people are really for Ikaria. In Ikaria, it's cultural, it's an epicurean culture, they avoid stress, or cope well with it. When they cannot avoid it, they seek small pleasures. They live the day as it comes. So, somehow naturally, they're doing things that we should all be doing. [ FOREIGN ]. I got money from my uncle Giannis. He said to me, come with me for work, for one week and I will give you money, I said, okay. I went first three days, and then I said, I, I quit, I cannot do it anymore. I was waking up at 6 o'clock and working until, four, five and he was saying, come on, let's go, let's go until night. [ FOREIGN ]. [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ]. In the documentaries they show only old people, they don't show nothing else, old people and the nature. They don't show the young people, what are they doing in their lives, you know? [ NOISE ]. I don't think that I would live so many years as them because, with the live that we are doing now it's, it's bad because we drink alcohol so much. We don't sleep good. [ NOISE ] [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ]. I'm looking forward to the people of Ikaria being able to come together, and work for the good of their island. And I'm also looking forward to the next generation, to see how they turn out and where they're going to be in 20 years time. I think it's gonna be a very interesting journey. We like the tradition of Ikaria, the history, the music, the culture, everything. We like it, and we trying, I think, my generation is trying to keep it, you know, not lose it. What I learn a lot from the older people is their sense of continuity, their strong sense of family, their strong sense of, my children have grown. I've seen my grandchildren, my life is complete, I'm fulfilled. They're not looking for new things. They're enjoying the things that they have in the moments they have. They're not looking for the next one, and the next one before they've actually enjoyed the present one. 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