DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A tick-borne virus has been found in Iowa for the first time and the year’s first West Nile Virus case has been reported.
The cases prompted public health officials Wednesday to urge residents to take precautions to avoid tick and mosquito bites.
The first case of Heartland virus was found in an older adult in Appanoose County in southern Iowa. The tick-borne disease causes fever, fatigue, nausea and diarrhea.
Iowa health officials also reported the season’s first case of the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus. The infected person is an adult from Polk County.
