New Hampshire Man, 66, Suffers Severe Powassan Virus After Tick Bite
Updated
Updated · LymeDisease.org · Jun 19
New Hampshire Man, 66, Suffers Severe Powassan Virus After Tick Bite
1 articles · Updated · LymeDisease.org · Jun 19
Summary
John Reagan, 66, developed a severe Powassan virus infection weeks after removing a tick, with confusion, speech trouble and loss of consciousness leading to intensive care and ventilator support.
Powassan is a virus, so the single-dose doxycycline Reagan received after the bite could not prevent it; there is currently no post-bite preventive drug or specific treatment, only supportive care.
The report argues that standard tick-bite care is also too narrow for Lyme disease, saying the one-dose doxycycline approach rests largely on a 2001 study focused on rash rather than broader illness outcomes.
Reagan’s case underscores a wider public-health gap: ticks now carry multiple pathogens, but medical guidance after bites has changed little in more than 20 years, leaving avoidance and prompt removal as the main defenses.
A single tick can now carry multiple diseases. Is the standard one-pill treatment a dangerous gamble?
With climate change fueling a tick-borne disease crisis, are our medical defenses prepared for what's next?
Powassan Virus Crisis: Rapid Rise, Severe Outcomes, and Urgent Prevention in the Northeast US (2026 Report)
Overview
John Reagan, a 66-year-old outdoorsman from New Hampshire, is fighting for his life in a Boston hospital after contracting the Powassan virus, a severe tick-borne illness. Likely bitten while spending time in brushy or wooded areas near Pembroke or Concord, Reagan's condition worsened rapidly—he first felt fatigued, then became nonverbal and lost muscle control within 24 hours of hospital admission. Due to the seriousness of his illness, he was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital for intensive care. Reagan's case highlights the dangers of Powassan virus and the urgent need for awareness and prevention.