http://www.fox9.com/news/powassan-virus Go here for 2 Min News Video
The virus was confirmed in Anoka, Cass, Clearwater, Houston, Morrison and Pine counties.
First documented in 1958, the virus is named after the Canadian town where it first appeared. Symptoms include headache, vomiting, weakness, and in many cases, swelling of the brain.
…the utilization of the organ cultures is likely a bona fide way to rapidly assess the efficacy of gene inactivation methods as well as drugs and small molecule inhibitors as antivirals.”
Coppe Lab, a CLIA certified lab, right here Waukesha has been studying Powassan for quite some time. Their pdf below states that numbers look low because only severe cases are reported. Despite this, there’s been a 375% increase in the last 5 years.
They state the clinical picture of Powassan looks like many other tick-borne illnesses and is…
About two-thirds are subclinical but round 30% of symptomatic adults contract a severe form called meningoencephalitis. One-third of those have incomplete recovery with neuropsychiatric symptoms that become chronic. The overall fatality rate is about 1% and severity of illness increases with the age of the patient.
In 2016, Coppe Laboratories’ Study 1 evaluated 106 patientswith suspected acute tick-borne disease and 10.4% tested positive for POWV by immunofluorescence assay. Nearly 17% of the patients with positive Lyme results also tested positive for POWV exposure. The authors concluded,
“Infection with POWV may be underdiagnosed and may contribute to the persistent symptoms often associated with Lyme disease diagnosis.”16
Coppe states the following patients should be tested for POWV: |
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Coppe has developed both direct and indirect tests for Powassan virus and is the only commercial laboratory to offer this type of testing. See their pdf for case studies: http://www.coppelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/coppe-powassan_16pg_030818_lores_indiv.pdf
More on Powassan: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/13/half-of-powassan-cases-from-wisconsin-and-minnesota/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/21/powassan-virus/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/28/powassan-can-kill/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/01/25/new-powassan-test-89-sensitive/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/05/05/powassan-another-reason-to-avoid-ticks/
How about getting inspired and excited to join an EXPERIMENT! Here’s the deal. The crowdfunding platform EXPERIMENT.com is being used to raise a modest sum ($8,000) that will help pay the costs to answer this important prevention question:
Do people who connect with a tick expert and learn more specifics about the tick that bit them or a family member, then more readily adopt what we call TickSmart actions and behaviors to protect themselves in the future?
More concisely — Does personalized prevention education work?
The Tick Encounter group plans to harness the “power of the crowd” to identify tick bite victim test subjects. To this end, TickSpotters, America’s Crowdsourced Tick Survey, is about to receive a face-lift including partnering with Neuraflash and Salesforce to upgrade the technology, meaning that we can now respond faster to a larger volume of tick submissions, track data in real-time, and make the TickSpotters platform scalable so that it can even be used by collaborating TickExperts to assimilate even more data. It sounds ambitious for such a small sum, but read on…
Even with a gift from a generous donor to start our technology upgrade, $8,000 is still needed for the new system. These funds are being sought through Experiment.com, a scientific crowdfunding site similar to GoFundMe or KickStarter. This is a high-stakes, all-or-nothing campaign, meaning there are just 45 days to hit the goal, or the money pledged gets returned, and the project gets nothing.
Unlike Kickstarter or GoFundMe where donors usually get a copy of what’s being produced, with Experiment your “benefit” is in the science discovery you help imagine and inspire with your gift. Of course, after clicking the link and reading more about our TickSpotters project on the Experiment website (link below), you’ll also know with confidence that if you ever need it, you’ll have quick access to a TickExpert whenever and wherever you might need one. In our “ticks in more places” world, consider a donation to this Experiment, and show that peace of mind has real value to you.
Crowdfunding, just like crowdsourced science, is all about a lot of people each giving a little to make a big impact. Even if you are unable to financially contribute, please share this link within your networks and with your endorsement (that means a lot). Attached is a campaign letter for you to edit and send out. Check out our Experiment page at the link below.
Project link –> https://experiment.com/tickspotters (This link has a short video)
Please join the TickEncounter team of Dr. Tom Mather, Steve Engborg, Roland Duhaime, Heather Kopsco in changing the face of tick surveillance and tick bite prevention!
Thanks in advance for your consideration and circulation of this important opportunity!
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1812049?query=TOC
A 9-year-old boy presented to the pediatric otolaryngology clinic with a sensation of the presence of a foreign body in his right ear. He also reported that he had heard buzzing noises in his right ear 3 days earlier. He lived in Connecticut and had been playing outdoors at school. He had no pain, tinnitus, or loss of hearing. On physical examination, a tick was seen on the right tympanic membrane, with surrounding inflammation. Removal of the tick with guidance from an operative microscope was attempted in the office, but the tick could not be removed. The patient was subsequently transferred to the operating room for removal of the tick while he was under general anesthesia. The tick was again seen attached to the tympanic membrane; the tick’s capitulum was buried beneath the epidermal layer of the tympanic membrane. The underlying fibrous layer of the membrane remained intact. The tick was removed with a day hook, with guidance from an operative microscope. Subsequent pathological testing identified the tick as Dermacentor variabilis. After extraction of the tick, the patient had no signs or symptoms suggestive of systemic illness, and he was treated with ciprofloxacin eardrops for an abrasion of the tympanic membrane. One month later, the patient was doing well; he had no fever or rashes, and the tympanic membrane had healed well.
**Comment**
The American Dog tick or Wood tick transmits tularemia, RMSF, Anaplasmosis, and tick paralysis (fully engorged female).
Ticks can end up in the wildest places: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/03/tick-bite-in-ear-gave-uk-teacher-rickettsial-typhus-infection/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/30/ticks-found-on-eyeball-buttocks-and-penis/
Fantastic job Dr. Dempsey!
Then they talk about tick prevention: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/12/tick-prevention-2019/
Dr. Dempsey on Bartonella: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/07/fox-news-bartonella-is-the-new-lyme-disease/
