Powassan virus, a rare tick-borne virus may have sickened two people in New Jersey, killing one, according to news reports.
Both individuals lived in Sussex County and tested positive for Powassan virus, a rare but often serious viral infection spread by ticks, according to the New Jersey Herald. One of those patients died in May, although officials have not confirmed the cause of death, the Herald reported. The other patient is recovering at home, according to New Jersey officials.
The names of the patients have not been released, but Sussex County resident Dianne Desormeaux Rude told the Herald that her father's death was recently linked to Powassan virus.
Her father, 80-year-old Armand Desormeaux, came down with a high fever in early May, and his condition quickly deteriorated. "He was having seizures, shaking uncontrollably," Rude said. About two weeks before falling ill, he was bitten by a tick while gardening, she said.
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