NPMA
HARTFORD, Conn.—The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced on June 7 that a Connecticut resident has tested positive for Powassan virus infection (POWV). This is the second case of POWV associated illness identified in Connecticut in 2022. From 2017 to 2021, 12 cases of POWV associated illness were reported in Connecticut, including three in 2021. Of those 12 cases between 2017 and 2021, two were fatal. This second case of 2022 is the first fatality from POWV this year.
The female patient—age 90 to 99—lived in New London County and became ill in early May. The patient was admitted to a local hospital with fever, altered mental status, headache, chills, rigors, chest pain and nausea. The patient’s condition worsened, and she became unresponsive over the next two weeks. The patient died on May 17. The patient did have a known tick bite which was removed two weeks prior to the onset of symptoms. Laboratory tests performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Laboratory in Ft. Collins, CO, confirmed the presence of antibodies to POWV.
The first patient diagnosed with POWV this year was a male—age 50 to 59—and a resident of Windham County who became ill in late March. The patient was hospitalized with a central nervous system disease and had a known tick bite. The patient was discharged from the hospital and recovered at home.
Source: Connecticut Department of Health
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