'With every visit to the doctor she got worse': an American died of a very rare disease carried by ticks

Tamela Wilson died three weeks after being bitten by a tick - only the fifth confirmed case of the life-threatening disease since it was first discovered in 2014, reports MSN.

Photo: Shutterstock

Having worked at Meramec State Park in Missouri for more than a decade, Assistant Park Superintendent Tamela Wilson knew a thing or two about insect bites. Ticks and other insects were a common sight for the 58-year-old outdoor walker. If she ever saw a tick crawling over her, she would pick it off and not think about it.

But last May, Wilson received a bite that claimed her life, and now her family wants to draw attention to the danger, reports WesternJournal.

In May 2017, Tamela removed two ticks from her body and continued with her day. However, after a few days, she began to experience strange symptoms and was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

This was followed by severe muscle fatigue, headaches and skin rashes. Doctors admitted her to the hospital and said she had a low white blood cell count.

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“She literally couldn’t even pick up the phone,” said Wilson’s daughter Amy May. She didn't have the strength.

“My sister called her and couldn’t get through,” Wilson’s daughter recalls. “My mom said the phone was ringing right here, but she couldn’t pick it up to answer.”

As the days passed, Tamela and her family prayed, but her health continued to deteriorate.

Medical staff were puzzled when Wilson's blood tests and skin biopsy came back negative for tick-borne diseases. Not knowing what to do next, Wilson's attending staff sent her blood samples to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control).

When the shocking blood test results came in, the doctors became alarmed.

The CDC determined that Wilson had been diagnosed with the Bourbon virus. This virus is a very unusual disease that is spread by ticks and, unfortunately, currently has no cure. With this serious diagnosis, the staff prayed for a happy outcome and tried to make Wilson's stay in the hospital as comfortable as possible.

Relatively little is known about the Bourbon virus. It was first discovered in 2014 in a man from Bourbon County, Kansas, United States who died from a tick bite.

Wilson soon contracted additional infections that caused her death. A severe rash caused by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis quickly engulfed Wilson's weakened body.

“I'm a nurse, and I've never seen anything like what I saw in my mother's mouth,” Tamela's daughter Ami said. “Towards the end she got so sick that she couldn’t talk, couldn’t drink, couldn’t eat, nothing.”

Then, almost three weeks after admission to the hospital, Tamela passed away.

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Now her daughter Amy is warning everyone about an extremely rare tick-borne disease that ended up taking her mother's life. She urges people to take precautions: check your body for ticks and use insect repellant spray. Following these rules can help save your life.

Doctors say Tamela is only the fifth confirmed case of the life-threatening disease since it was first discovered in 2014.

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