New York Reports Three Probable Tularemia Cases on Long Island

Health officials are investigating three probable Tularemia Cases on Long Island as laboratory testing continues, urging residents to prevent tick and deer fly bites because the rare bacterial disease can cause serious illness but is treatable with antibiotics.

Health Officials Investigate Probable Long Island Cases

Health officials in Suffolk County are investigating at least three probable Tularemia Cases involving the rare bacterial disease commonly known as rabbit fever on Long Island.

The Suffolk County Department of Health says laboratory testing is required to confirm the diagnoses and that the process could take several weeks. Officials say confirmation depends on laboratory results along with specific clinical or epidemiological criteria.

“Confirmation of a tularemia diagnosis requires a combination of laboratory testing and fulfillment of specific clinical or epidemiologic criteria,” the department said in a statement. “The laboratory testing to confirm a tularemia diagnosis may take several weeks.”

Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease is uncommon in the United States, with fewer than 200 Tularemia Cases reported annually from 2019 through 2023.

Experts Explain How Disease Spreads and Symptoms Appear

The disease most often spreads through bites from infected ticks or deer flies that have fed on wild animals such as rabbits, hares, muskrats and rodents. It does not spread from person to person, the CDC says.

People also can become infected by handling infected animal tissue, inhaling contaminated dust or aerosols, or drinking contaminated water.

“It’s often called rabbit fever because hunters who shoot rabbits and then skin and eviscerate them can become contaminated by that close contact with their tissues,” Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said.

Symptoms usually develop three to five days after exposure but may take up to three weeks. Patients often experience sudden fever, chills, headache, body aches and fatigue. Depending on how infection occurs, people also may develop skin ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, eye inflammation, sore throat or, in severe cases, pneumonia.

“Tularemia presents the way a bad flu starts: sudden fever, chills, headache, body aches, feeling wiped out,” said Dr. Zoe Weiss, director of clinical microbiology at Tufts Medical Center. “What sets it apart is what shows up alongside that: a sore or ulcer where you were bitten and a swollen, painful lymph node near it.”

Health experts say the illness can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms resemble more common infections.

Officials Recommend Tick Protection and Early Treatment

Medical experts say Tularemia Cases are highly treatable when diagnosed promptly.

“Tularemia is highly treatable with commonly used antibiotics,” Weiss said. “It used to be deadly, but now it is much more treatable with antibiotics.”

The CDC recommends using Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents when hiking or camping, wearing long sleeves and pants in wooded or grassy areas, and checking for ticks after spending time outdoors. People should remove attached ticks promptly.

Officials also advise avoiding contact with sick or dead animals while mowing or landscaping. Hunters and trappers should wear gloves when handling wildlife and cook game meat thoroughly before eating.

A vaccine previously used to protect laboratory workers is under review by the Food and Drug Administration and is not generally available in the United States, according to the CDC.

Health officials continue to monitor the suspected Tularemia Cases in Suffolk County while awaiting laboratory confirmation.

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