What is Powassan Virus?

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About Powassan Virus Disease:

It is a rare, yet often serious disease that is spread by the bite of infected ticks.
The Powassan virus, often called a ticking time bomb, is named after Powassan, Ontario where it was first discovered in 1958.
How do people get affected?
- Not all ticks carry these viruses and not all people bitten by a tick will get sick.
- A tick needs to be attached to a person for a certain length of time before it can cause disease.
Symptoms:
- People in the initial days can experience symptoms of fever, headache, vomiting, and weakness.
- The virus can further cause brain infection (encephalitis) or form the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).
- In severe cases, patients can suffer from confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking, and seizures.
Treatment:
- There are no medications to prevent or treat Powassan virus infection.
- Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications may relieve some symptoms.

Q1) What is a Virus?

A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of itself. Often, a virus ends up killing the host cell in the process, causing damage to the host organism.

Source: First death from Powassan virus infection in US: All about the tick-borne disease