As the weather warms up, a family in Massachusetts is sharing their sad story to warn others about a serious disease spread by ticks.
In April 2024, Kevin Boyce didn’t know he got bitten by a tick. Soon, he had headaches, vomiting, and flu-like symptoms that got worse quickly. A few days later, the 62-year-old collapsed at home and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he went to the intensive care unit. Doctors found out Kevin had Powassan virus, a rare and dangerous disease from ticks.
Powassan virus is rare, but there have been a lot more cases in the last 10 years. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, trouble moving, trouble talking, and seizures. In serious cases, it can cause swelling in the brain or spinal cord. About 1 in 10 of these serious cases can lead to death, according to Yale Medicine.
Erin said that even though Kevin was treated in the ICU, the disease caused very bad brain damage.
“His brain swelled a lot from the encephalitis, and he had really bad brain damage,” she told CBS News. “It was awful, but we knew what Kevin would want, so we had to let him go.”
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Kevin died a few weeks after he got to the hospital. He left behind his wife, two sons, and a granddaughter. Erin said she and her family hope that by sharing Kevin’s story, other people will be more careful.
“We just want people to know what to watch for and be careful about ticks, especially if you find one on your body,” she said.
In 2024, there were 54 cases of Powassan virus in the U.S., including 12 in Massachusetts. The CDC says there are no vaccines or medicines for this virus. But there are ways to avoid ticks.
The National Institutes of Health says to wear clothes that cover your arms and legs, tuck your pants into your socks, or use tape around openings in your clothes. Wear light-colored clothes so you can see ticks easier. When walking in the woods, stay in the middle of the path because ticks like bushes and shrubs. Use bug spray with DEET, permethrin, or picaridin.
After you come inside, check yourself, your kids, and pets for ticks. If you find one, use tweezers to take it off right away.
It can take from a week to a month after a tick bite to get symptoms of Powassan virus. The virus can spread in as little as 15 minutes after the tick attaches, says the Massachusetts Department of Health. Take a shower as soon as you can and wash your clothes in hot water to kill any ticks.