The Iowa Department of Public Health today reported the first-ever case of Heartland virus.
Heartland virus is thought to be transmitted by the Lone Star tick and was first discovered in 2009 in Missouri. Since then, cases have expanded across the Midwestern and southern United States.
The first Iowa case is in an older adult age 61 to 80 in Appanoose County. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea.
IDPH also reported the first case of West Nile Virus in an adult between 18 and 40 years old from Polk County. The disease is spread by mosquitoes, and while most people do not have symptoms, it can be fatal.
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