A potentially deadly tick-borne virus with no cure is spreading throughout the US and reaching historic highs of case numbers.
Powassan virus was first discovered in a young boy in 1958, when the four-year-old developed a condition that medical experts couldn’t explain.
In 2025, 76 Americans were diagnosed with the virus, marking the highest ever number recorded, compared to a former average of seven diagnoses per year.
The virus, which spreads through infected woodchuck or deer ticks, is spreading more quickly than usual and is worrying experts.
Most cases are concentrated in the Northeast United States, Great Lakes region and Canada.
Dr Jorge Parada, a medical advisor at the National Pest Management Association in Chicago, told Fox: ‘Powassan can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes after the infected tick bites, while Lyme disease usually requires a 36- to 48-hour attachment time for transmission.’
Those who contract the Powassan virus, however, won’t develop symptoms for up to four weeks after exposure.
In some cases, severe illnesses can lead to complications such as encephalitis and meningitis.
Cases of another potentially life-threatening allergy to meat triggered by tick bites are also on the rise, experts have warned.
Alpha-gal syndrome was first linked to tick saliva 15 years ago, but today people are reporting sudden symptoms after eating meat, or sometimes dairy products, without realising they were bitten.
The disease is an immune response to a sugar type known as alpha-gal, found in meat from most mammals. The allergy doesn’t impact the consumption of seafood or poultry. Chicken, turkey and eggs are all OK to eat.
While the allergy can take weeks or months to develop, symptoms can occur within hours of consuming meat or cheese.