In 2024, a 62-year-old man from Massachusetts was unknowingly bitten by a tick. At first he developed what seemed like flu-like symptoms \u2014 severe headaches and vomiting \u2014 but within days his condition rapidly worsened. He collapsed at home and was admitted to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with Powassan virus, a rare tick-borne illness. <\/p>\n
Medical staff determined that he had developed a serious inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), which caused catastrophic swelling and damage. Despite treatment in an intensive-care unit, his brain was too severely affected and he passed away a few weeks later. <\/p>\n
His family \u2014 especially his sister \u2014 has now spoken out, hoping their tragedy will serve as a warning to others. They urge people to be alert for ticks and to take precautions this spring and summer, because even a brief, unrecognized bite from a tick can carry serious consequences<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 2024, a 62-year-old man from Massachusetts was unknowingly bitten by a tick. At first he developed what seemed like flu-like symptoms \u2014 severe headaches and vomiting… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n