Connecticut woman killed by rare tick-borne virus that caused chills, chest pain, and disorientation

• A woman in her 90s has died of Powassan virus disease, a rare tick-borne infection.
• The patient was hospitalized with fever, headache, and altered mental status before she died.

An elderly woman in New London County, Connecticut, has died of Powassan virus disease, a rare tick-borne infection.

The woman was in her 90s and became ill in early May, the Connecticut Department of Public Health reported in a press release. She became unresponsive in the following weeks and died on May 17.

Laboratory testing showed that the patient had antibodies for Powassan virus disease, indicating she was infected before she died. She had a known tick bite and removed the insect about two weeks before she got sick, according to the health department.

Powassan virus is spread through the bites of infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks. The tick can also transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease and other infections.

The viral infection is relatively rare compared to other tick-borne diseases. Between 20 and 40 cases — mostly severe infections — are reported to the CDC each year, and a few of those cases are fatal.

Connecticut saw another case of Powassan virus disease in late March 2022. The patient, a man in his 50s, was hospitalized with symptoms of central nervous system disease but eventually recovered.

Powassan virus can cause severe brain infections

The woman who died in Connecticut had a fever, chills, headache, chest pain, nausea, and altered mental status when she was admitted to the hospital, according to the state health department.

Most people infected with Powassan virus do not experience such severe symptoms. The infection can be asymptomatic or cause mild flu-like illness, but older and immunocompromised people have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill.

If the infection reaches the brain, it can cause life-threatening swelling known as tick-borne encephalitis. About one out of 10 cases of severe Powassan virus disease are fatal, and approximately half of survivors experience long-term health problems, according to the CDC.

How to avoid tick bites

The best way to avoid tick-borne diseases is to take care in wooded and grassy areas during tick season.

"This incident reminds us that residents need to take actions to prevent tick bites now through the late fall," state health commissioner Manisha Juthani said in the press release. "DPH stresses the use of insect repellent this summer and avoiding high-risk areas, such as tall grass, where ticks may be found."

It's also important to check yourself for ticks after spending time outside, he said. The Powassan virus can be transmitted in just 15 minutes after a tick sinks its teeth in — faster than other tick-borne infections — although symptoms of disease won't occur until a week to a month later.