Health officials in Maine are warning the public about a deadly disease transmitted by ticks that is currently spreading through the state.

Fox News reported that two new cases of the Powassan Virus, which can be transmitted to humans from ticks in a matter of minutes, have been reported in Maine. This has put health officials there on high alert for the disease, which can prove to be deadly.

“It’s a virus, whereas Lyme is a bacteria,” Dr. Kent Holtorf, a Lyme disease expert and medical director of Holtorf Medical Group. “If you catch Lyme early, antibiotics can eradicate it, but with a virus, you have much less options to do anything about it.”

He went on to explain that the symptoms of Powassan are far more severe than that of Lyme disease. The symptoms of Powassan can quickly reach a person’s brain, leaving them susceptible to long term neurological damage. Those who catch the virus may exhibit symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, seizures and memory loss.

“In terms of the risk of you getting it, it’s very low,” Holtorf said. “But there are going to be people that are going to get it, and though most won’t have symptoms, there are going to be people that are going to have severe brain damage from it — so it is concerning that you’re normal one day, and a few weeks later, you’re on a respirator and never the same again.”

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