The virus is relatively new to Georgia, and has been found in 10 states in the South and Midwest


A man in Baldwin County, Georgia has died following a Lone Star tick bite that infected him with the Heartland Virus, Georgia Outdoor News reports. Officials have not identified the man, but they did confirm that the tick-borne virus is relatively new to the state.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most cases of the Heartland Virus have been reported in the Midwest and South. The virus was first identified in Missouri in 2009, and as of January 2021, more than 50 cases had been identified in residents of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

The only ticks known to carry the virus are Lone Star ticks, which are native to the eastern U.S. and are faster and more aggressive than other tick species. They can be found in wooded areas and along the edges of meadows and streams during the springtime through early fall, but they are especially active from mid-March through late June.


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