Tiny ticks are carrying big risks on and around U.S. military installations, according to new findings from a Defense Health Agency surveillance program.

The MilTICK SURE Path initiative recently detected Powassan virus in ticks from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and for the first time, Maryland. It also confirmed the first Heartland virus–positive tick at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Human infections from these viruses are uncommon, but both can cause severe illness. Powassan virus, spread by the same tick that transmits Lyme disease, can lead to dangerous brain inflammation. Heartland virus, carried by the lone star tick, can cause symptoms serious enough to require hospitalization.

“This is a public health threat that local physicians may not have been aware of,” said Robyn Nadolny, chief of the DHA Public Health Vector‑borne Disease Branch. She noted that an invasive species, the Asian longhorned tick, may also be capable of spreading Heartland virus.

The Defense Department uses a two‑part system to stay ahead of emerging pathogens. MilTICK allows service members, families, and civilian personnel to submit ticks for free testing. SURE Path then retests those ticks for rare viruses and shares results with public health officials.

The program is also spotting shifts in other diseases. Babesiosis, a malaria‑like infection usually found in the Northeast and upper Midwest, is now emerging in the Mid‑Atlantic. Because it requires different treatment than Lyme disease, awareness is essential for military readiness.

SOURCE: Defense Health Agency