- Case Counts: Public Health Ontario. Query: Case counts of reportable diseases by public health unit and year. Toronto, ON: Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion; extracted on January 16, 2025.
- Population estimates: Statistics Canada 2014-2022, IntelliHEALTH Ontario, Ministry of Health, extracted on April 23, 2024.
- Population projections: Statistics Canada, 2023, IntelliHEALTH Ontario, Ministry of Health, extracted on April 23, 2024.
Powassan Virus
Powassan virus is spread to people by the bite of an infected tick. Powassan virus belongs to a group of viruses that can cause infection of the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). These ticks are in our region and are also spreading to new areas of the province, sometimes travelling on birds and deer. See Public Health Ontario's Lyme Disease Estimated Risk Areas Map.
Ticks are most active in spring and summer but can be found at any time of the year when the temperature is above freezing (0oC). As we experience global warming, ticks are becoming a greater concern.
Infections brought on by blacklegged tick bites, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus, can be serious. Not all blacklegged ticks carry the infectious agents that cause infections, and not everyone who is bitten by an infected tick will develop signs and symptoms of these diseases.
See the Ministry of Health’s Tick-Borne Diseases webpage for information about:
- What black legged ticks look like and where they live
- How to avoid getting a tick bite and how to remove a tick
- Tick testing
- Signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
Found a tick on you?
If you find a tick on you or someone else, place it in a container and get it identified on eTick.ca. If you find a tick on your pet, call your veterinary clinic. Laboratory testing is for surveillance purposes only and is not intended to replace clinical guidance.
Visit your healthcare provider as soon as possible if you are not comfortable with removing a tick, you cannot remove the tick because it has buried itself deep into your skin, or if you have concerns after being bitten by a tick, aren’t feeling well, or have any symptoms.
Contact our Environmental Health program for more information. They can be reached at 705-474-1400 or toll-free at 1-800-563-2808, ext. 5400.
Know Your Tick.
Submit a photo of your tick and find out its species within 48 hours on eTick.ca.
Local Information
2024 Statistics
Incidence rate is the number of new cases of disease divided by the number of persons at risk for the disease during a particular time period.
Cases:
0*
Incidence rate per 100,000 in 2024: 0
*Indicates confirmed cases in 2024.
Incidence rate per 100,000 of Powassan virus by year
For yearly tick data, please see our Lyme Disease webpage.
More Information about Powassan Virus
- English
- Français
- See our Lyme Disease webpage for more information about tick prevention, management, and safety.
Report to the Health Unit by next business day by phone at 705-474-1400 or toll free at 1-800-563-2808, ext. 5229 if Powassan virus is suspected or confirmed as per Ontario Regulation 135/18 and amendments under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O., c.H.7.
Should one go to childcare, school, or work if they have Powassan virus?
No exclusion necessary unless too ill to participate in regular activities. Person to person transmission has not been documented.
Contact our Communicable Disease Control (CDC) program at 705-474-1400 or toll free at 1-800-563-2808, ext. 5229, or by email to cdc@healthunit.ca for more information.
Last updated: February 2025, by CDC