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Researchers warn of tick-borne Heartland virus in US. What to know about the viral pathogen
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- Heartland virus is circulating in ticks in Georgia, according to new research.
- People can get the Heartland virus after being bitten by an infected tick.
- There is no vaccine to prevent the Heartland virus.
The Heartland virus is circulating in ticks in Georgia, researchers warned in a study published last week.
The findings, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases and led by researchers from Emory University, analyzed virus samples from ticks collected in central Georgia. But the Heartland virus, first identified in Missouri in 2009, has been documented in multiple states across the Midwest and Southeast.
But what does that mean for your next hiking or camping trip? Is it time to be on the lookout for ticks that could carry the virus?
Jonathan Larson, an extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky, explained to USA TODAY that so-called tick seasons can vary across the United States, but “anytime when you’re outside from April into August and September, that’s kind of the high tick season for a lot of the eastern and southeastern United States.”
“You should be thinking about them almost any time of the year. It’s something that should be on everybody’s mind,” he said, explaining that blacklegged deer ticks, the main vectors for Lyme disease, are active as adults from October to May, as long as temperatures don’t dip below freezing.
Here’s what you need to know about the Heartland virus and steps you can take to protect you and your family from tick-borne illnesses.
What is the Heartland virus?
The Heartland virus spreads to people from an infected tick. As of January 2021, more than 50 cases of Heartland virus disease have been reported in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Heartland virus is one of the many diseases that could be vectored by ticks,” Larson said. “It’s a viral pathogen, which is different than we see with a lot of tick-borne illnesses, which are often bacteria.”
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How do you get it?
Humans can get the Heartland virus after being bitten by an infected tick. The Lone Star tick can transmit the virus, but it isn’t known if other tick species can transmit it, according to the CDC.
“If you are bitten by a Lone Star tick, there is a possibility that they could have the Heartland virus if they’ve picked it up from another host, and then they could vector it into you,” Larson said.
What are Heartland virus symptoms?
Most people with Heartland virus report fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, nausea, diarrhea and muscle pain, according to the CDC.
Dr. Ross Boyce, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, told USA TODAY that certain groups, such as elderly, immunocompromised or young people, could be at higher risk for a severe, and even life-threatening, disease from tick-borne illnesses.
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But he noted that it’s possible only the most severe cases of Heartland virus have been reported.
“With a lot of these insect-borne viruses, whether it’s Dengue or West Nile, there’s probably a huge iceberg under the surface, under the water, as far as the number of people who get infected that either don’t have symptoms or have only mild symptoms,” Boyce said.
Are there vaccines to prevent the virus? What about other preventions or treatments?
There are no vaccines or medications that prevent or treat a Heartland virus infection, according to the CDC.
Experts recommend that people avoid tick bites in general to protect against the Heartland virus and try to find a tick on your body early, before it attaches. People can use insect repellants, check their body and their child’s body for ticks and more.
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“Ticks are smart, and they’ve evolved such that they’re going to move to places on your body that you don’t naturally see, so behind your knees and your hairline, under your armpits,” Boyce said. “That’s why it’s often helpful to have someone else look.”
He encourages people to take precautions when going outside, including wearing long pants. The CDC advises treating clothing with the insecticide permethrin and using Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents.
What should you do if you see a tick?
If you see a tick on your clothes or shoes and it has not bitten you yet, you “don’t have to worry about pathogens,” Larson explained.
“It has to actually feed on you for any disease vectoring to occur,” he said. “I would just check the rest of your body to make sure you don’t find anybody that’s making a meal out of you. And if you don’t, then you’re in the clear.”
But if a tick has bitten you, “the longer it’s on you, the more likely it is to have passed the pathogen from its guts into your body,” Larson said.
“The best thing to do is to take a pair of pointy tweezers, get as close to your skin as possible and grip the head area of the tick and then pull straight up, steadily but not with a jerking motion,” he said.
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“You don’t want to break any parts of the tick off into your body, which could lead to other infections, but you do want to get it out of the skin. Once it’s out of there, you can put it in some rubbing alcohol or into hot soapy water, anything that you want to do to try and kill it,” he added.
Larson warned against tactics like holding a match head to a tick or pouring alcohol on it.
“When you do that while the tick is feeding on you, you are agitating it, and you’re increasing the likelihood that it could sort of regurgitate into you. And that could increase the likelihood of disease transmission happening,” he said.
“Here in Kentucky, I’ve had people tell me ‘Oh, I pour bourbon on it to try and get it off,’” he added. “That’s a waste of good bourbon.”
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That decision failed to pay off, however, with the Red Devils sacking Moyes after just 10 months in charge.
After the current West Ham boss came Van Gaal, who arrived with big things expected due to his past success at the likes of Barcelona and Ajax.
Giggs was hoping to get the Red Devils job himself, which was why he stayed, but both ended up leaving nearly six years ago.
When Jose Mourinho took over, he opted to maintain his close relationship with Rui Faria – who had previously worked under him at clubs such as Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Fair departed in the summer of 2018, though, with Michael Carrick then given a place on Mourinho’s bench.
Carrick stayed to work under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian also regularly picking up the thoughts of Phelan and Kieran McKenna throughout his spell in the dugout.
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“Though they’re commonly used to treat different forms of heart disease, beta-blockers can significantly reduce HDL levels.”
Among the beta-blockers that cause this are Corgard (nadolol), Inderal (propranolol), Tenormin (atenolol), Zebeta (bisoprolol).
These drugs are widely used in the treatment of angina, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, heart attack and high blood pressure.
But despite concerns about their effect on cholesterol, scientists stress that the benefits of beta-blockers far outweigh the risks.
VeryWell Health adds: “If your beta-blocker affects your cholesterol significantly, your doctor may lower your dose or switch you to a different medication.”
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However, after a four-hour meeting between race officials and the teams, it was confirmed the race would go ahead despite the attack. It had been reported that a number of the competing drivers were concerned for their safety following the nearby explosion.
Despite this, an agreement was finally reached to race at 2:30am local time, after team chiefs left the lengthy meeting to confirm: “We will be racing.” A statement from Formula 1 confirmed Sunday’s race would go ahead as planned. It read: “Formula 1 has been in close contact with the relevant authorities following the situation that took place today. The authorities have confirmed that the event can continue as planned and we will remain in close contact with them and all the teams and closely monitor the situation.”
Unsurprisingly, there were a number of mixed views on whether the race should go ahead, and this is clearly apparent in the Red Bull setup. This comes after advisor Helmut Marko revealed that drivers Verstappen and Perez are not on the same page when it comes to racing.
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On the issue, Marko told Sky Germany: “Max is a bit more relaxed about it. Perez is a little bit scared, but when you live in Mexico City there’s not much more security. We have the pandemic, we have the war in Europe and now we have a missile attack 20 kilometres away. This is no longer normal or pleasant.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s race though, the Austrian advisor is firmly on the side of Verstappen and the race officials, supporting the idea of the race taking place. He commented: “I really think it’s the right thing to do. As I said, these drone attacks are common, I think. They have a very good defence system. Why this one didn’t work remains to be seen. It’s not the first drone, after all. But it’s the first one to strike on such a scale.”
The attack took place during Friday’s first practice session, and it was Red Bull’s star man Verstappen who was one of the first to realise something was wrong after reporting on his team radio that he could ‘smell burning’. Initially, the Dutchman thought the smell was coming from either his or one of his rival’s cars, however it then became clear that an explosion had taken place just a few miles from the track.
Giving an insight into Verstappen’s initial worries, Marko said: “Max radioed us, he thought his car had caught fire because there was an intense burning smell. We were informed a drone had been sent from Yemen. The Saudis have a defence system and for some reason the drone was not intercepted.”
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