FORT SCOTT — The Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment said a new virus may have killed a Fort Scott area man this summer. The KDHE said it’s the first known case of Bourbon virus, which was named after Bourbon County, where the patient lived. Because of the patient’s symptoms and changes in blood counts, it was believed that the resident had a tick-borne illness, said, Dr. Dana Hawkinson an infectious disease specialist at the University of Kansas Hospital who tried to save the man. However, tests by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention couldn’t match samples taken from the man with any known tick-borne disease. The virus loosely matched some viruses found in eastern Europe and Africa but is a previously undiscovered disease, he said. The KDHE said it is not known if Bourbon virus was the cause of death or how much it contributed to the man death. Hawkinson said there is no known specific treatment, vaccine, or drug for the virus. The KDHE said because Bourbon virus disease is likely transmitted through tick or insect bites, risk to the public during the winter months is minimal. Prevention is the same as other preventing tick- or insect-borne illnesses, the KDHE said.
Wednesday, Dec. 24, 4 p.m.
