MO: State Park Visitor Infected With Rare Bourbon Virus

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.emissourian.com/local_ne...cle_0f322718-f1d7-5d78-becb-5c173f5cceb4.html


State Park Visitor Infected With Rare Bourbon Virus
By Monte Miller, Missourian Staff Writer 8 hrs ago (0)

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have confirmed a visitor to Meramec State Park has tested positive for the rare tick-borne Bourbon virus.

Because of strict health privacy laws, no information has been released about the victim other than they contracted the disease after being bitten by a tick at the park.

According to the CDC, some people who have been infected with the Bourbon virus have died.

Last week, experts from the CDC confirmed the presence of Bourbon virus in ticks collected at the park and notified the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) of the confirmed presence of the virus.

This case is only the fifth of its kind nationwide since the virus was first discovered three years ago in Bourbon, Kan...

 

[Pathfinder]

Meramec State Park employee dies after catching mysterious tick illness

By Blythe Bernhard St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12 hrs ago

Tamela Wilson died June 23 from complications of the Bourbon virus, which she likely caught from a tick bite at Meramec State Park where she worked.

A week later, the state Department of Natural Resources announced the park was ?an area of interest? in an investigation of a case of Bourbon virus, and ticks were being collected for testing. The state health department confirmed the same day that a resident had contracted the virus, but did not mention the death.
...
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/...cle_6d5ad6d2-4ce5-5ff3-a683-7d3a70d65e25.html

 

[Emily]

From the stltoday article:

Wilson, 58, had been treated for non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma since 2012, which may have been another complicating factor. People over 50 and those with chronic medical conditions who catch a tick-borne disease have a higher risk of developing severe illness.

 

[Pathfinder]

DHSS Home ? Information ? Recent News ? 2017 ? bourbonvirus92017

September 20, 2017

Public health response to Bourbon virus

JEFFERSON CITY, MO - The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked with local public health agencies this week to test for evidence of Bourbon virus in the blood of some Missouri state park workers. The testing was done as part of a follow-up investigation into a recent case of Bourbon virus associated with exposure to ticks in Missouri.

CDC's Arboviral Disease Branch will test each blood sample for the presence of Bourbon virus antibodies; these antibodies may indicate a previous exposure to the virus.

This follow-up investigation will help determine who might be at risk for Bourbon virus. It is believed to be spread by ticks, but this has not been confirmed. Bourbon virus was first discovered to cause human illness in a Bourbon County, KS, man in 2014. The virus belongs to the Thogotovirus group, and Bourbon virus is the only known member of this group to cause disease in the United States.

Patients diagnosed with Bourbon virus have shown signs similar to Heartland virus and ehrlichiosis (two other tick-borne illnesses found in Missouri), including fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, anorexia, diarrhea and rash. Like Heartland virus and ehrlichiosis, Bourbon virus can affect blood cells that help the body fight infection and prevent bleeding. There is no vaccine for Bourbon virus.

The best way to prevent tick-borne disease infection is to avoid being bitten by a tick. Information on ways to prevent exposure can be found on the DHSS website: http://health.mo.gov/.

If a person begins developing a fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headaches, anorexia, diarrhea or a rash after exposure to a tick bite or tick habitat, they should seek treatment from a medical professional and inform them of recent tick exposure.

For more information on ticks and the ongoing Bourbon virus investigation, please contact the Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Veterinary Public Health at 573-751-6062 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

http://health.mo.gov/information/new...rbonvirus92017

 

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.kmov.com/story/37060257/...n-virus-not-found-in-meramec-state-park-ticks


Health department: Bourbon virus not found in Meramec State Park ticks
Posted: Dec 13, 2017 2:19 PM EST
Updated: Dec 13, 2017 2:23 PM EST
By Emily Van de Riet

SULLIVAN, Mo. (KMOV.com) -

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) said Bourbon virus was not detected in ticks collected at Meramec State Park in Sullivan.

The testing, conducted by DHSS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local public health agencies, was a follow-up investigation to the Bourbon virus case found in summer 2017.

More than 7,000 ticks were collected from Meramec State Park and tested for Bourbon virus and Heartland virus (both tick-borne illnesses).

Bourbon virus was not detected in any of the ticks collected, but Heartland virus was detected in one of the tick groups, according to DHSS...