Heartland Virus Found In Georgia

Emory University researchers reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publication that test samples revealed some lone star ticks in Georgia had picked up the Heartland virus, 

“We want to bring awareness rather than panic,” said Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of environmental sciences at Emory. “People tend to go out more in the spring and they might get exposed to ticks, which are increasing rapidly, particularly in the South, this time of year.”

Not much is yet known about the Heartland virus, which when transmitted to a person by a tick bite can cause fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle or joint pain. It's unclear if other ticks can also spread the virus or if people can be infected in other ways, the CDC said.

The Heartland virus was discovered in 2009 in northwest Missouri after two men were hospitalized with symptoms including high fevers, diarrhea and muscle pains. The virus has been reported in lone star ticks from Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, and New York, although it’s unknown if the virus has spread to other areas of the U.S., according to the CDC.

While there have only been a small number of Heartland virus cases reported, a CDC blood bank study in 2019 found that 1 percent of the donor samples contained antibodies to the virus, Vazquez-Prokopec said.

“This indicates that the actual burden and impact may be much greater than the reported cases,” he said.