An individual from York County has died from the tick-borne Powassan virus, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.
The death is the first fatal case in 2024 and one of three confirmed infections, according to the CDC. The other two cases were in Kennebec and Lincoln counties.
Maine CDC declined to provide additional information on the victim or circumstances of the infection and illness.
Roughly 20 to 50 cases of Powassan per year were reported in the U.S. from 2018 to 2023.
Maine identified a record seven cases of Powassan in 2023. The state has recorded 25 infections of the virus since 2014 and four deaths in the last decade, according to the CDC.
Powassan virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected deer or woodchuck tick. Unlike Lyme disease which typically takes more than 24 hours to pass from the infected tick to its host, the CDC says Powassan virus can spread from ticks to people in as little as 15 minutes after a bite.
For more information on Powassan virus, including prevention and detection, visit the Maine CDC’s Powassan virus website. Visit the UMaine Tick Lab for more information about tick identification and testing.
