Tick-borne Powassan virus creeps into Minnesota

Authorities raise red flag after tick discovered on dog in Montana: ‘We should be on the lookout’

A tick found on a bird dog in Montana could forewarn of Lyme disease spreading into the state. What's happening? A Bozeman-based hunter recently alerted local health officials in the state to a tick that he found on his French Brittany dog after a pheasant-hunting excursion. The Spokesman-Review reported the news, explaining that the tick was plucked from the dog and shipped to a National Institutes of Health facility, which confirmed it was a d…

Tick-borne Powassan virus creeps into Minnesota

Reports of Powassan virus, a potentially fatal tick-borne illness that can have permanent neurological effects, are increasing across the country, including in Minnesota, which had 14 confirmed cases in 2024. Though the aggressive and quickly transmissible virus is rare, public health officials are urging precautions as tick season approaches. “What we try to remind people is yes, it’s scary, but it is really rare,” said Elizabeth Schiffman, a M…