This Rare Tickborne Disease May Be Expanding Its Reach Across the US

https://www.health.com/heartland-virus-expanding-cdc-7229432?hid=62af4114a2eb6a6c94413a67f892f41be9d47089&did=8 [login to see] 0316&utm_campaign=hth-thedaily3_newsletter&utm_source=hth&utm_medium=email&utm_content=031623&lctg=62af4114a2eb6a6c94413a67f892f41be9d47089
HRTV is carried and spread by tick bites, similar to Lyme disease. However, while Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted through the bite of blacklegged ticks, HRTV is a viral infection spread by lone star ticks. HTRV is much less common than other tickborne illnesses like Lyme disease, but the transmission risks may be similar. The lone star tick can be found from Iowa to Texas in the west, and its range stretches through every U.S. state to the east, from Florida to Maine.6 Not every one of these states has reported a HRTV infection, though there are still a large number of people at risk of contracting the illness.
But again, classic HRTV symptoms and the diagnosis process may be driving underreported cases. With milder illness, people may not think to seek medical treatment and will recover from the virus on their own. And if someone does go in, their doctor may not even think to test for HRTV since it is still so rare, Dr. Decker said.

Despite the hurdles, many people are still diagnosed with HRTV, particularly if they have more severe cases of the infection. People with weakened immune systems and other underlying health conditions may have a harder time fighting off the virus, and cases can turn severe or even fatal in some instances.