New York State has confirmed its first case of Bourbon virus, a rare tick-borne illness reported by Stony Brook Medicine. The virus is transmitted by the lone star tick — an aggressive species whose activity peaks in summer — and although it sounds alarming, only about six human cases have ever been reported worldwide since the virus was first identified in Kansas in 2014. For people with gout, this story is less about the virus itself and more about what tick season announces: outdoor activity season. Hiking, gardening, and camping all bring longer hours in the sun, changes in eating patterns, and fluid loss. That is the real reason this news belongs on a gout food site — and this article is the outdoor-season plan to match.
What You Actually Need to Know About Bourbon Virus
Bourbon virus is a tick-borne virus named after the Kansas county where it was first identified in 2014. In the United States, it is transmitted by the lone star tick, an aggressive species that ranges across much of the eastern half of the country and bites humans readily. Tick activity peaks in warm months, and public health officials have noted that cases may rise this summer as more people head outdoors for hiking, camping, and gardening.
The reported symptoms include fever, fatigue, rash, headache, body aches, and nausea. There is no commercial diagnostic test for the virus and no vaccine, so prevention — avoiding tick bites — is the central public health message. Context matters here: roughly six human cases worldwide since 2014 is a vanishingly small number. This is not a reason to cancel summer. It is a reason to add tick awareness to your outdoor routine, which for people with gout is also a chance to build a flare-savvy season.
Why Tick Season and Gout Season Overlap
The same warm weather that sends ticks searching for hosts sends people with gout outside for longer hikes, bigger garden projects, and weekend camping trips. Regular movement is genuinely good for a gout plan — physical activity supports healthy body weight, and excess weight is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors for gout and elevated urate (Choi et al., 2004). But outdoor days come with three features that interact with gout: fluid balance, meal timing, and snack choices.
Long hours in the sun mean more sweating, and fluid loss may concentrate uric acid in the blood; concentrated urate is more likely to crystallize in joints, which is the physical event at the start of a flare. Busy outdoor days also tend to produce missed meals and last-minute fast food, and heavy exertion in heat can leave joints tired and swollen — sometimes mistaken for a flare when it is really fatigue. The fix is not to skip the outdoors. The fix is to plan around it, the same way you plan meals at home. Our flare-trigger guide covers the full list of situations worth planning for.
Hydrate Before, During, and After Outdoor Time
Dehydration is the most common gout-relevant risk of a long outdoor day. The 2020 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) gout guideline does not set a specific water quota — the evidence for one precise number simply is not there — but staying hydrated during hot, active hours supports kidney function and steady fluid balance, and both matter for how your body handles uric acid.
Practical steps: drink a full glass of water before you leave the house rather than starting the day already behind, carry a refillable bottle, and sip on a schedule instead of waiting until you are thirsty. On longer hikes, map the water refill points before you go. If you are gardening, leave a bottle in the shade beside your tools. It sounds like a small habit, but the difference between sipping steadily through the day and gulping at dinner is exactly where outdoor-season flare problems begin.
Low-Purine Trail Snacks That Travel Well
The gas-station snack aisle is not your friend on a long hike. Pack instead foods that are naturally low in purines, stable in a backpack, and genuinely satisfying:
- Bananas — easy to eat on the move and a solid potassium source; see the full profile on our banana page.
- Cherries, which many gout readers keep on hand for their anti-inflammatory reputation. Cherries travel well in a small container.
- Single-serve yogurt cups and shelf-stable milk boxes — dairy items with real research support. Yogurt is a favorite.
- Vegetable sticks with a small container of yogurt dip.
The dairy items have evidence behind them: large prospective cohort studies have associated dairy intake — especially low-fat milk and yogurt — with a lower risk of developing gout (Choi et al., 2004). Fruit is generally low in purines and brings fluid and carbohydrate for trail energy. For most day hikes, water plus a piece of fruit is genuinely enough; for longer efforts, the mix above keeps the plan on track without processed convenience foods. (Search "trail snack" in the FoodCanEat database if you want a longer list.)
Tick Protection Is Part of the Outdoor Plan
The lone star tick is frequently described as an aggressive tick because it bites humans readily, and it is the vector at the center of the New York case. Standard protection — informational, not medical advice — includes using an EPA-registered repellent containing DEET, wearing long sleeves and long pants on wooded trails, tucking pants into socks, and doing a full tick check after coming inside. Some outdoor enthusiasts also treat clothing and gear with permethrin before the season starts.
Why does tick protection belong on a gout food site? Because the goal of every outdoor plan is to avoid a disruption. A tick bite that leads to fever and illness will interrupt eating, hydration, and movement — the same three systems your gout plan depends on. Protecting against the bite is protecting the plan.
When a Health Professional Should Be Involved
If you develop fever, headache, fatigue, or a rash in the days after a tick bite, contact a healthcare provider and mention the tick exposure. If you have gout and a joint becomes hot, swollen, and painful, it deserves a professional evaluation — it may be a flare, but it could also be something else. And please do not start, stop, or change any gout medication based on a news story; medication decisions belong to you and your care team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Bourbon virus cause a gout flare?
There is no evidence that Bourbon virus causes gout or gout flares, and the virus is extremely rare — roughly six human cases worldwide since 2014. What any fever and dehydration from a tick-borne illness could do, in theory, is stress the systems your gout plan depends on: reduced food intake, reduced fluid intake, and disrupted sleep. If you have gout and become unwell after a tick bite, contact a healthcare provider for guidance on managing both concerns at once.
Should people with gout avoid the outdoors this summer?
No. With about six human cases of Bourbon virus reported worldwide since the virus was identified in 2014, the absolute risk to any one hiker or gardener is extremely small. The sensible approach is the same one public health agencies recommend for everyone: use tick repellent, cover skin on wooded trails, and check for ticks afterward. Then layer your gout plan on top — hydration before you leave, low-purine snacks in the pack, and meals roughly on schedule when you get home.
What is the best snack to bring on a long hike with gout?
Pack foods that are naturally low in purines, portable, and filling: a banana, a small bag of cherries, single-serve yogurt cups, a shelf-stable milk box, and vegetable sticks. Bring water and sip at regular intervals rather than waiting for thirst. For most day hikes, fruit plus water is genuinely enough; for longer efforts, the dairy-and-fruit mix keeps energy up and keeps the gas-station aisle out of the plan.
References: Stony Brook Medicine (2026), first Bourbon virus case confirmed in New York; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bourbon virus fact sheet; Choi HK, et al. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:1093–1103; Kaneko K, et al. Biol Pharm Bull. 2014;37(3):404–411; FitzGerald JD, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020;72(6):879–895 (ACR 2020 Gout Guideline).