Tick Bite Changes Life of American Man.. He Must Learn to Walk and Talk Again

- Retired pharmacist John Regan was enjoying the early months of his retirement when he removed a tick from his skin in early May. The 66-year-old American, who resides in Concord, New Hampshire, did not pay much attention to it, as he was used to spending time outdoors.

Regan was aware of the risks of tick bites, as Lyme disease is a common infection in the area where he lives. Since the transmission of Lyme disease from infected ticks to humans takes about 36 hours after attachment to the skin, he removed the tick almost immediately upon returning home, believing he was safe from danger.

However, after a few weeks, he began to show flu-like symptoms, including headaches, body aches, fever, nausea, and diarrhea. Regan visited the local emergency department in mid-May, but the doctors could not pinpoint the cause of his symptoms accurately, so they sent him home after providing him with fluids and anti-nausea medication.

His wife thought he might be having a stroke. Upon returning to the hospital, he lost the ability to speak and move, and even to open his eyes, yet the test results were negative.

Regan was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where the medical team conducted a series of tests, including tests for tick-borne diseases, and they sent a blood sample to a specialized lab at the Mayo Clinic. On June 9, his family received the diagnosis, revealing that he was infected with the Powassan virus, a rare and dangerous infection he likely contracted from that tick.

Unlike Lyme disease, the "Powassan" virus can be transmitted from ticks to humans in about 15 minutes. Before that moment, the family had never heard of this virus before.

Tick populations and the diseases they carry are increasing in the United States, with about 90% of all diseases caused by bites (including mosquito bites) in the United States attributed to ticks. While Lyme disease is seeing an increase in infection rates, it is already considered the most common disease among tick-borne illnesses, with nearly half a million cases recorded annually according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The disease caused by the "Powassan" virus is extremely rare, according to the agency, with fewer than 100 cases diagnosed and reported annually in the United States. However, recent years have seen an increase in this number as well, coinciding with the rise in the number of ticks carrying the virus.

Dr. Stephen Rich, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and head of the "TickReport" service (a tick testing service that allows the public to know if the tick that bit them carries pathogens), says: "The number of ticks has increased and spread to more places." In 2025, 76 human cases of the "Powassan" virus were recorded in the United States, the highest rate ever recorded; ten of those cases ended in death.

Canadian scientists first discovered this virus in the 1950s after a child, who was accompanying his father on a woodchuck hunting trip, developed a severe illness that led to brain swelling. The child died, and the virus was later isolated from his brain and named after the town where the family lived in Ontario.

Infection with the virus results in one death approximately for every ten cases. As for the survivors, they often suffer from disabilities, as nearly half of the patients face long-term complications.

Months into recovery during his early hospital stay, brain swelling caused Reagan's breathing to stop. Therefore, doctors inserted a breathing tube and a feeding tube and connected him to a ventilator, hoping that these life-supporting devices would give his body enough time to recover while he was in the intensive care unit.

This strategy was successful, as after nearly a month, the American regained consciousness and began to regain his ability to communicate. Although he was able to respond to some commands, his prolonged bed rest led to other health issues, including blood clots and pneumonia.

Doctors successfully managed those complications, and Reagan began to slowly regain his ability to move. Since early July, the American has been receiving care at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, where he is working on regaining his abilities to walk, talk, and think clearly.

Reagan's son, Jeff, feels that the progress his father has made is encouraging, but he realizes that there is still a long road ahead, as months of recovery await him. Jeff says, "It has been a journey full of sharp turns, but he has made very good progress, especially regarding his cognitive abilities."

As with other insect-borne diseases, experts believe that some individuals may become infected without showing severe symptoms due to their immune systems' ability to eliminate the virus. Dr. Greg Ebel, a professor of microbiology, immunology, and pathology at the Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases at Colorado State University, explained: "In a significant proportion of cases, the virus is indeed capable of effectively replicating within nerve cells and other cells in the brain, and this is where the reasons for potential brain damage lie."

Funding for better testing and treatments The Powassan virus disease can be extremely serious, but due to the low number of cases, there is no commercial market to support the development of a vaccine or medication to treat it, making government funding crucial for financing research aimed at developing tests, treatments, and cures. Reagan no longer needs a ventilator, but he still receives most of his nutrition through a tube inserted in his abdomen.

Doctors had hoped he would be able to return home by the end of August, but new pain in his shoulder and back prevented that plan from being carried out, so he will currently continue his rehabilitation program within the hospital.