This Tick Virus Is Nasty

Doctors say a rare disease called the Powassan virus is related to the West Nile virus, and a bite from a deer tick can cause health problems. Slim chances you’ll get the virus, but it’s out there says Dr. Todd Kowalski with Gunderson Health System.

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Kowalski says there is no cure for the virus, and treatment is geared toward making the patient comfortable. Powassan virus differs from Lyme in that is can be transmitted from ticks to humans much more quickly and is much more likely to be fatal.