It seems like there is a constant warning about different dangers facing us almost every day. COVID, the flu, avian influenza, and now… a new illness called the Heartland Virus. It’s a tick borne illness that comes from lone star ticks. It can cause fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, nausea, diarrhea and muscle or joint pain. Symptoms are so severs many people need to be hospitalized. The Center for Disease Control warns it may take up to two weeks for symptoms to appear, following a tick bite. To top it all off, there are no vaccines or medications to prevent or treat the infection and antibiotics don’t work on it. So far, the Heartland Virus has been found in people living in 11 states, including Kansas and Missouri.
Just another thing to be aware of, as we head into warmer weather ,when people are outside and the ticks are starting to emerge.
