Tick borne "Bourbon" virus kills in Kansas, worse than Lyme Disease

[ShivaFan]

Tick borne "Bourbon" virus kills in Kansas, worse than Lyme Disease

LINK:

Newly Found Virus Linked to Kansas Death After Tick Bite - Bloomberg Business

At company presentations I am hosting, during the opening safety moment prior to the technical presentation, I sometimes discuss and present Power Point slides on tick borne diseases with focus on the deer tick and Lyme disease which was first given this name to a bacteria transmitted by deer ticks that was identified in Lyme (area), Connecticut (US, though the actual origins are unknown and may have been introducted) in 1975. It then started spreading, even to California where today it is a major issue whereever the Mule Deer and the tiny poppy seed size deer tick is found.

While the dog tick is a problem, it isn't bad news like ticks found on deer, rabbits, horses, and even near the eyes and beaks of some birds.

Now we have a bigger problem. It seems it comes from the same deer tick. And it is not a bacteria but a virus that kills and was passed by a tick in Kansas.

Read for yourself (link above) and become aware. This will start to spread, the pathogen belongs to a group known as thogotoviruses. These are known to Africa and India and also found in parts of southern Europe. This strain, however, appears to be new - and extremely deadly. Be aware.

The greatest mover of history, is disease.

 

[Nietzsche]

Huh, that's not good. I've actually got Lymes Disease, and that **** is incredibly painful.

 

[Revoltingest]

Oh, great....another scourge to afflict landscapers!
I now wear tick repellent clothing when out in the bush.

 

[ShivaFan]

Are there deer in your area?
They carry the deer tick which is the problem. We have Lyme disease in our area, it devastated one of my management about 15 years ago... but this Bourbon virus (what a name, you probably just want to DRINK bourbon and die that way if you get it) is, as far as known, in Kansas (probably heading to Nebraska and over to Kentucky)...

The deer tick is about the size of the letter "D" on the US Dime coin. Very small, the males are all black and the females black with a red riding hood like a small cape on the back below the neck. They climb up a straw or weed to wait until some deer (or human in jeans) brushes the tall straw or grass and jump on the leg. They then head right for the crotch or arm pit or hair line and such. They transmit by biting and sucking blood. Their nymphs are just as bad, even more tiny and hang out on LOGS LAYING ON THE GROUND or dead wood on soil ... the nymphs believe it or not pray on lizards, reptiles, turtles and such and not deer. Some suspect this is how it starts - from the lizards to the nymph then to the deer and/or human or rabbit ... they love to bite guinea pigs!

Spray the shoes, socks and pant legs with DEET or better yet (per UC Davis study) picaridin, a synthetic version of piperine.

 

[Revoltingest]

Deer....the rats of the forest. They're all over my area....eating my small trees & hostas. I wear tick repelling sox, pants, shirts & hat. I suppose that spraying on top of all that would be worthwhile too.

Note, ticks are active even in sub-freezing temps. They'll hunker down in leaf litter where temps are a little higher. Insidious little b*****ds!

 

[Revoltingest]

I recently spotted this monster....

 

[Wirey]

I say we have to water board those ticks until we find out where they are keeping the disease! We have ways to make the tick talk.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Tic Tack?