Ticks Carrying Powassan Virus Found On Cape Cod

BOSTON (CBS) - We all know that the common deer tick carries Lyme disease. But now, there's a new disease to worry about: Powassan virus.

"We've now found ticks from Falmouth to Truro, carrying the disease," says Larry Dapsis, an entomologist with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension.

Only ten percent of the ticks tested on the Cape have been found to have Powassan. But if it's passed on to humans, it can have devastating effects.

"Humans can suffer permanent damage," says Dapsis. "Powassan can cause encephalitis and meningitis."

So far, only nine people in Massachusetts have been found to have Powassan.

Luckily, there is a good weapon if you're out in the woods. It's called Permethrin. If you spray it on your clothes, it not only wards off ticks, it kills them.