Michigan Live Powassan virus is rare, but incidents of it are on an upswing, health officials said. That could be due to more people being infected, better testing, or a combination of the two. Black-legged (deer) ticks contract the disease from infected animals and then can pass it to humans when they latch on, the report said.
The signs and symptoms of Powassan virus range from none to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord), according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
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