Most people are aware that ticks are dangerous because they carry lyme disease, which can cause fever, fatigue, joint pain, and headaches. However, some ticks may be carrying another disease that doctors don’t know how to handle. An American farmer was infected with a virus that doctors called the Bourbon Virus, named after the county the farmer was from.
It took more than six months for the CDC to discover that the infection resulted from a tick bite, and antibiotics didn’t help stop the symptoms. The farmer was the only known person to be affected by the virus, and unfortunately, he passed away. Hopefully, doctors and researchers will discover more information about the virus the tick was carrying.
It’s best to always be on the lookout for ticks on your body, even if you don’t think you’re at risk. You usually can’t feel a tick when it bites you, so you have to search yourself carefully after you’ve been around nature.
Ticks hide in tall grass and can fall from trees, and they’re always looking for humans to bite.If you do discover a tick on your body, remove it immediately to prevent it from digging into your skin. If you find a tick beneath your skin, see a doctor as soon as possible to prevent lyme disease or to stop the symptoms of the disease from worsening.
The most obvious symptom of lyme disease is a red rash extending from the tick bite, but almost half of people with lyme disease don’t experience this. Catching tick bites early is the best thing you can do to prevent being infected with a dangerous virus.
