--- title: Maine CDC Confirms Powassan Virus Death: What to Know description: Like Lyme disease, Powassan is transmitted through ticks. There are only a handful of U.S. cases every year, but the virus can be deadly. canonical: https://time.com/6281384/powassan-virus-disease-maine-death/ author: Simmone Shah article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-05-19T18:37:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T15:54:44.186Z article:section: Health og:title: Maine Confirms a Fatal Case of Powassan Virus og:description: What to know about the rare, but deadly, disease. og:url: https://time.com/6281384/powassan-virus-disease-maine-death/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5a4631e2cef57bcf/698a3d2e22fb855605e2eb2a/deer-tick-maine.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: deer-tick-maine.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Maine Confirms a Fatal Case of Powassan Virus twitter:description: What to know about the rare, but deadly, disease. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5a4631e2cef57bcf/698a3d2e22fb855605e2eb2a/deer-tick-maine.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Maine Confirms Fatal Powassan Virus Case. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter May 19, 2023 6:37 PM UTC  A female deer tick walks on a corduroy 'flag' that was swiped over underbrush.(Photo by Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images) A female deer tick walks on a corduroy 'flag' that was swiped over underbrush.(Photo by Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images) Gregory Rec–– Getty Images  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter May 19, 2023 6:37 PM UTC A Maine resident has died from the Powassan virus, a rare tick-borne illness, Maine’s Centers for Disease Control confirmed on Wednesday. The individual, who was likely infected in the state, developed neurologic symptoms and died while in the hospital, according to [Maine’s CDC](https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/news/maine-cdc-confirms-death-powassan-virus-disease-wed-05172023-1200). This is the state’s first case of Powassan virus this year. In 2022, two individuals died from the illness, making this the third recorded Powassan death in Maine since 2015. **Read More:** [_Ticks Carry More Diseases Than Just Lyme. Here’s What You Need to Know_](https://time.com/6268503/tick-diseases-lyme-alpha-gal/) Like Lyme disease, which the CDC says impacts over 400,000 Americans each year, the disease is caused by a virus transmitted through ticks. Many people who contract the Powassan virus do not experience any symptoms. Though only a handful of cases are reported every year in the U.S., the rare virus can be deadly. About 15% percent of cases are fatal, according to the Maine CDC. About half of the people who survive severe infection have long-term health problems. The disease can take up to a month to incubate before symptoms like fever, headache, vomiting, seizures, or memory loss appear. Some people may experience serious neurologic problems, like brain or spinal cord inflammation, and the virus can cause encephalitis, an infection of the brain, or meningitis, which affects the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Powassan virus can be [transmitted](https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/news/maine-cdc-confirms-death-powassan-virus-disease-wed-05172023-1200) through the bite of an infected deer tick or woodchuck tick. The virus was first [identified](https://time.com/4767290/powassan-virus-ticks/) in 1958 and was first found in deer ticks, which bite humans and also carry Lyme disease, in the mid-1990s. [Most cases ](https://time.com/6268503/tick-diseases-lyme-alpha-gal/)have occurred in the northeastern and Great Lakes regions during tick season from late spring through mid-fall. There are no effective antibiotics or antivirals to treat the disease, and the [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/powassan/symptoms.html) recommends rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications for cases that don’t require hospitalization. To stay safe during tick season, the CDC recommends wearing insect repellant when spending time in areas where ticks are present, inspecting clothing and skin afterward, bathing or showering upon returning home, and regularly inspecting pets who have been outdoors. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6281384/powassan-virus-disease-maine-death/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6281384/powassan-virus-disease-maine-death/"},"headline":"Maine Confirms Fatal Powassan Virus Case. What to Know About the Rare Disease","datePublished":"2023-05-19T18:37:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T15:54:44.186Z","description":"Like Lyme disease, Powassan is transmitted through ticks. 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