Overview
- State and university researchers confirmed this week that 67-year-old Michael Larkin, who fell ill in Suffolk County in 2021 after two lone star tick bites, had Bourbon virus and the diagnosis was only established after specialized tests five years later.
- Bourbon virus is a rare tick-borne orthomyxovirus that causes fever, rash, headache and low blood counts and has no vaccine or approved antiviral treatment, so care is limited to supportive measures such as IV fluids and symptom control.
- Diagnosis requires pathogen-specific PCR or serologic testing usually available only at state public-health labs or the CDC, and symptoms that mimic Lyme disease and other tick illnesses make misdiagnosis and delayed recognition common.
- Public-health and clinical experts warn the finding may understate local spread because lone star ticks and evidence of the virus in New York deer and ticks have been documented, a trend driven by growing white-tailed deer populations and milder winters.
- Researchers and clinicians are urging expanded surveillance, wider lab testing access, and stronger clinician awareness of Bourbon virus while advising the public to use tick-avoidance measures such as permethrin-treated clothing, EPA-approved repellents, and prompt tick checks.