Massachusetts has become one the the states seeing the most cases of a rare tick borne virus called Powassan virus. Powassan virus spreads through the same deer ticks that carry Lyme - but here's the scary part. While Lyme usually needs a tick attached for 16 to 24 hours before it spreads, Powassan can infect you in as little as 15 minutes. Massachusetts has become one of the states seeing the most cases in the country. Health officials counted five Massachusetts cases as of mid June, out of just seven nationwide at that point.