CDC Warns of New Deadly Tick Borne Bourbon Virus Found in Kansas
February 21st, 2015
New Deadly Tick Borne Bourbon Virus Found in Kansas, man fell ill and died after becoming infected by a new strain of virus transmitted via a tick bite.
At this time, the CDC and Kansas health officials are still trying to determine if there are any other cases. According to Bloomberg Business, the virus is being called “Bourbon” after the country in which the man lived.
The Bourbon virus belongs to a group of viruses known as thogotovirus, a genus in the Orthomyxoviridae virus family, which includes various influenzas including the famous Influenza virus A that causes all flu pandemics. However, as reported in an article published about the Bourbon virus in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, this is the first time a member of the thogotovirus genus has caused a human illness in the U.S.