Dutchess County family warns others of virus spread through infected tick bite after losing loved one
Powassan virus spreads to people by the bite of an infected tick, according to the CDC.
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There's an urgent warning from the family of a Dutchess County man, who they say died from a virus spread through an infected tick bite.
"I don't think I've really accepted it, it's a hard thing to accept," says Wappingers Falls resident Kaitlin Chamberlain.
Chamberlain says it still doesn't feel real.
She lost her father, Clayton Chamberlain, at the end of June.
"A big caregiver," says Margaret Goodyear.
Goodyear was his long time partner.
They want to warn others about how he died, on top of grieving his loss.
Goodyear says he was outside working on a car in Wappingers Falls when he was bitten.
"He came in and asked if I could check his back, I saw a really tiny tick," says Chamberlain.
Within the next week, he started feeling sick and lethargic. Things quickly turned for the worst.
"Neurological shakes, seizures, everyday something else went, and then he went into a coma," Goodyear tells News 12.
Goodyear says he was eventually diagnosed with Powassan virus. It's a virus spread to people by the bite of an infected tick, according to the CDC.
"Powassan is a virus that attacks the brain. It comes from a tick bite and there really isn't a prevention for it or a treatment," says Dr. Marina Keller, an infectious disease specialist at Westchester Medical Center.
Doctors say it's rare.
The CDC website says cases have increased in recent years.
Medical professionals say those who have a higher risk of getting severely sick from the virus are kids, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
Chamberlain and Goodyear hope by talking about what happened, others can know to be aware and on alert.
Medical professionals say the best way to protect yourself from this virus is do what you would for any ticks. That includes avoiding wooded areas and tall grass and using insect repellant containing DEET.
You can find more information on the virus here: https://www.cdc.gov/powassan/about/index.html
