Intro well hey everybody this is Robert and welcome to outbreak news TV and today we're going to take a look at paasen virus reported in the small town of Sharon Massachusetts now the health department in the town of Sharon Massachusetts confirmed a palasan virus disease case for the first time prompting officials to warn residents to take precautions against this tickborne disease now last year Massachusetts reported 10 poan virus cases the most in the country so what is poin virus disease Powassan virus poin virus is spread to People by the bite of an infected tick EXO scapularis in this case or the blacklegged tick although still rare the number of reported cases of people sick with poan virus has increased in recent years most cases in the United States occur in the Northeast and the Great Lakes regions from late spring through mid-fall when ticks are most active and this is a map of the US in 2023 where there were I I think 43 or 44 total cases um and 40 it was 44 and 43 of them were neuroinvasive cases and here we can see how poas since 2004 has steadily climbed in 2022 was the highest with 47 How is it contracted cases so how is it contracted poan virus is spread by the bite of an infected tick in Massachusetts The blacklegged Tick is the type of tick most likely to carry this infection it's the same tick that carries Lyme disease the bacteria that causes Lyme disease anop anaplasmosis babisia the parasite um while ticks must be attached for a certain length of time before they can spread most infections there is some evidence that poin virus can spread from the tick into a person after only a short time of attachment symptoms of the disease usually begin between one week and one month after the bite of the infected Symptoms tick so what are the symptoms although most people who are exposed to poin virus likely never feel ill others may become severely ill with menitis which is an inflammation of the covering of the brain and spinal cord or entis which is an inflammation of the brain signs and symptoms include fever headache vomiting weakness confusion loss of coordination speech difficulties and seizures approximately 10% of people with this severe form of the disease or the neuroinvasive form um will die and survivors may have long-term health problems so is there a treatment for poin virus disease well no there's not um treatment basically there's no specific treatment but treatment consists of supportive care rest and fluids to prevent dehydration Prevention prevention take steps to reduce your chances of being bitten by a tick ticks are most active during the warm weather generally late spring through fall however ever ticks can be out any time that temperatures are above freezing ticks cling to vegetation are most numerous in Brushy wooded and grassy habitats when you are outside in an area likely to have ticks follow these simple steps to protect yourself and your loved ones a you can use a repellent with DEET um or Permethrin uh also you can wear long light colored pants tucked into socks or boots and a long sleeve shirt this may though this may be tough to do when the weather is very hot but it will help to keep the ticks away from your skin um stay on Trails when walking or hiking avoiding the edge habitat where ticks are likely to be showering immediately after potential tick exposure may help remove unattached ticks and talk to your veterinarian about tick control options for your pets after spending time in the area likely to have ticks check yourself your children and your pets for ticks now young Ticks ticks uh called nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed adult blacklegged ticks are the size of a sesame seed both nymph and adult ticks can spread diseases tick carry however nymphs are often of more concern they are aggressive feeders and so tiny that it can be difficult to see them on the body unless you are looking carefully when doing a tick check remember that ticks like places that are warm and moist always check the back of your knees armpits groin scalp back of the neck and behind your ears if you find a tick attached to your body body remove it as soon as possible using fineo tweezers do not squeeze or twist the tick body but grasp it close to your skin and pull straight out with steady pressure so right avoid ticks it's tick season really coming upon us now Lyme disease poin uh anaplasma babisia and others are of concern so beware of ticks all right well let's wrap this up if you enjoy the video subscribe to this channel like it comment below share with your friends and I'll see you next time