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Officials confirmed that a local resident tested positive in late September, and it was confirmed earlier this week after being bitten by an infected tick.
Maryland's Deputy Secretary for Public Health Nilesh Kalyanaraman said that the person who was infected came home to Maryland after being bitten by the bug during a trip to Canada.
"We are very saddened to report the first death due to the Powassan virus in our state," Kalyanaraman said. "The individual contracted the virus in Canada and returned to Maryland afterward.
"We do not believe that Powassan poses any threat of local transmission in Maryland," the doctor added. "As always, we urge everyone to practice good habits when in areas that could have ticks or avoid those areas altogether."
The incubation period for Powassan virus disease ranges anywhere from one to four weeks.
Initial symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, and generalized weakness. The disease can progress to encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, or aseptic meningitis. Symptoms of encephalitis may include altered mental status, seizures, speech problems, paresis or paralysis, movement disorders, and cranial nerve palsies.
Approximately 10 percent of Powassan virus neuroinvasive disease cases are fatal and about half of survivors have long-lasting neurologic deficits, such as headaches, muscle weakness, focal paralysis, or cognitive difficulties.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “no Powassan virus vaccines are available for use in humans. In the absence of a vaccine, prevention of Powassan virus disease depends on personal protective measures to decrease exposure to infected ticks.
"This includes avoiding wooded and bushy areas with high grass in endemic areas, using repellents to discourage tick attachment, and finding and removing ticks before they have a chance to attach.”
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