Rhode Island man contracts rare tick-borne illness

RIDOH Confirms a Case of Rare Tick-Borne Viral Infection (Powassan)

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is reporting a confirmed case of the tick-borne Powassan virus disease (Powassan) detected in a Rhode Island resident. This resident is a male in his 60s who lives in Providence County. He began experiencing symptoms of Powassan in May. He was hospitalized but is now recovering at home.  

“With summer now here, we all need to be thinking about tick prevention measures when outdoors,” said Director of Health Jerry Larkin, MD. “Repel and reduce your exposure to ticks, check your body for ticks, and be sure to remove ticks if you find one on yourself, a family member, or a pet. Ticks are tiny. You may not be able to feel them or spot them right away. The sooner you find and remove them, the better your chances are at preventing the serious health issues caused by illnesses like Powassan and Lyme Disease.” 

This is Rhode Island’s first case of Powassan since 2024 and the ninth case overall since it was first reported in Rhode Island in 2016. Powassan is a tick-borne disease that is found mostly in the Northeast and the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and in eastern Canada. Over 397 cases of Powassan have been reported in the United States in the past 10 years (2016-2025). 

Powassan cases are rare, but the reported number of cases has increased in recent years. In 2025, there were 76 cases reported nationwide which represented the most Powassan cases ever reported in a year.  In 2025, there were 27 cases of Powassan reported in New England: 12 cases in Massachusetts, five cases in Connecticut, six cases in Maine, and four cases in New Hampshire.  

While many people with a Powassan infection do not have symptoms, some patients develop a fever and neurologic disease. In severe cases, the illness can progress to meningitis, encephalitis, or meningoencephalitis, with signs including altered mental status, seizures, aphasia (difficulty speaking), paresis, (muscular weakness or paralysis), movement disorders, and cranial nerve palsies (paralysis of muscles in the head and neck). 

Severe cases often require hospitalization. There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine. Management is supportive, and prevention of tick bites remains the primary strategy for reducing disease risk.

Rhode Islanders should take steps to prevent tick-borne diseases, including Powassan and Lyme Disease, when spending time outdoors. Both of these diseases are transmitted by the blacklegged (deer) tick, which is found throughout Rhode Island. The three keys to tick safety are repel, check, and remove.  

Repel – Keep ticks off you, your children, and pets by:

• Avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaves. If you are going to be in a wooded area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaves at the edges of the trail. 
• Wearing long pants and long-sleeve shirts when outside. 
• Tucking your pants into your socks so ticks do not crawl under your clothes. 
• Using an EPA-approved bug spray with the active ingredient DEET (20-30% strength) on your skin or clothes. Check the product label to find the concentration of DEET in a product. (Do not use bug spray with DEET on infants under two months of age. Repellents should contain no more than 30% DEET when used on children. Children should be careful not to rub their eyes after bug spray has been applied on their skin. Wash children's' hands with soap and water to remove any bug spray when they return indoors.)  
• Wearing light-colored clothing so you can see ticks more easily.  

Check – Check yourself, your children, and pets, for ticks by:

• Taking a shower as soon as you come inside if you have been in grassy or wooded areas.  
• Doing a full-body tick check using a mirror; parents should check their kids for ticks and pay special attention to the area in and around the ears, in the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and in their hair.  
• Checking your pets for ticks as well because they can bring ticks into the home.  

Remove – Remove ticks from your body, as well as from children and pets, if you find them.

• Use a set of tweezers to remove the tick.  
• Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up. 
• If you don't have tweezers, use your fingers with a tissue or rubber gloves.  

For more information on Powassan, Lyme disease, and other tick-borne diseases, visit health.ri.gov/ticks