A new virus thought to be carried by ticks or other insects has been discovered following the death of a southeast Kansas resident during the summer, public health officials said Monday.
The new virus is called Bourbon virus, after Bourbon County, home of the patient who died. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the patient's symptoms, including fever and fatigue, were similar to symptoms from other tick-borne diseases.
The state Department of Health and Environment said Monday that testing by the federal Centers for Disease Control confirmed the presence of what's now called the Bourbon virus. It's named for Bourbon County, where the victim lived.
KDHE spokeswoman Aimee Rosenow said it's the only confirmed case of the virus.
Rosenow said it's not clear exactly how the virus contributed to the patient's death. The department declined to identify the Kansas resident who died, saying it wanted to protect the patient and family members.
"This was the first known instance and the only confirmed case," Rosenow said. "This is a new virus, and we are still learning."
The health department declined to identify the victim of the virus or provide details about the case, saying it was protecting the privacy of the patient and family members.
The department said there's no specific vaccine or treatment for the disease from the Bourbon virus but described the risk as "minimal" during the winter, given health officials' belief that it is transmitted through tick or insect bites.
The health agency also suggested the same precautions outdoors for avoiding other tick- and insect-borne illnesses. Those include using insect repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants, and avoiding wooded and busy areas with high grass or leaf litter.
