PORTLAND (WGME) — A Maine resident has tested positive for a tick-borne illness.
It’s the first confirmed case identified in a person in Maine this year.
The Maine CDC says an adult in Hancock County was hospitalized after becoming infected with Powassan virus.
The CDC says they’ve also identified case of West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease, in a bird in York County.
Officials say steps to prevent these diseases are similar.
They include wearing bug spray and protective clothing.
There are things you can do right away if you’re bitten by either a tick or mosquito.
“If you have found a tick has bitten you, you want to remove it right away,” CDC Health Educator Megan Porter said. “If you’ve been bitten by a tick or mosquito, and you start to feel flu like symptoms, especially now during the summer, call a health care provider and mention you’ve been bitten by a tick or some mosquitoes. That puts those diseases on their list of possibilities.
Maine has seen two deaths involving Powassan virus in the past two years.
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