Jeannina Smith, MD (pictured at right), clinical associate professor, Infectious Disease, was quoted in a news story about a rise in the regional tick population and corresponding increase in tick borne diseases. 

Dr. Smith described the impact of Powassan virus, a rare pathogen carried by ticks that poses serious health risks. The disease can be lethal. 

“It attacks the brain itself, causes inflammation and infection of the brain and because of that patients who have had this viral encephalitis can have significant neurologic problems, if they recover,” said Dr. Smith. 

The story also quoted Susan Paskewitz, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Entomology. Dr. Paskewitz studies the management of arthropods involved in transmitting diseases, with a focus on mosquitoes and ticks. In recent decades, many tick species have extended their habitat farther south. “There’s no spot left where we’ve gone to look for them and haven’t found them, including the southeast part of the state where they used to be quite rare," said Dr. Paskewitz.

Resources:

• "Tick borne illnesses rising with tick populations," WISC-TV, May 4, 2017