New tick-borne disease can be fatal

A Fort Scott woman, who's brother passed away May 21 due to a new tick-borne disease, is hoping others will take heed to warnings about tick-borne illnesses.

Darlene Wood said that her brother, Johnny Lee Mitzner of Grove, Okla., was hospitalized and died from a new disease known as Heartland Virus Disease.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Lone Star tick carries the Heartland Virus. The CDC gained this knowledge through field work.

Heartland Virus Disease was first isolated in 2009 in two Northwest Missouri farmers. The two were hospitalized with fever, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Leukopenia is a condition in which a patient's white cell blood count is less than 4,500 cells per millimeter cubed, while thrombocytopenia is when a patient's platelet count is less than 150,000 per millimeter cubed.

Six additional confirmed cases were recorded in 2012 and 2013. Of these six cases, five were Missouri residents and one was a Tennessee resident. These cases included one patient with multiple comorbidities, or additional disorders, who died. This was the only death caused by Heartland Virus Disease until the passing of Mitzner.

Mitzner, who was born in Fort Scott, had his story on national news through the Associated Press and KJRH Channel 2 in Tulsa, Okla. He was 76 years old and was described as a man who was young at heart.

"It was the most devastating thing I've ever seen in my life," his son, Mark Mitzner, told KJRH.

There is currently no vaccine or medication to treat or cure the Heartland Virus according to the CDC. Symptoms of the illness include fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, nausea, myalgia or arthralgia.

All patients who were diagnosed reported spending several hours outside either working or doing recreational activities like hunting or fishing. Because the disease is likely carried by ticks, the CDC recommends using insect repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants, avoiding bushy or wooded areas and doing thorough tick checks after spending time outdoors as ways to prevent yourself from contracting the Heartland Virus.

"I think it's something the public needs to know about to take precautions for their children and the elderly," said Wood.