The Suffolk County Department of Health in New York has reported three probable cases of tularemia, a rare but serious infection also known as rabbit fever. This disease can occur after a bite from a tick or a fly that has previously bitten a sick mammal, typically a rabbit.

Tularemia Symptoms and Treatment

Tularemia is caused by infection with F. tularensis bacteria. Bites from the Lone Star tick and the American dog tick are most closely associated with the disease. A person can also get rabbit fever if they have direct contact with a sick animal, through drinking water or inhaling dust contaminated with the bacteria, or through eating undercooked contaminated rabbit meat. The disease does not spread from person to person.

Symptoms of tularemia in humans can include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, tiredness, and a large sore if they caught it through a tick or fly bite. These symptoms generally appear three to five days after exposure, but they can take up to 21 days to develop. The sore can lead to an infection that may enter the bloodstream and become sepsis, a potentially deadly condition.

Prevention and Treatment

The infection is treatable with antibiotics like streptomycin, gentamicin, and amikacin, according to the New York State Department of Health. To avoid ticks, experts recommend wearing long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes, in addition to light-colored clothing with a tight weave that can help you spot and remove ticks right away.

After spending time outdoors, it’s also essential to do a full-body check at the end of the day. If you find a tick, use a pair of pointed tweezers to grasp it by the head or mouth where it enters the skin, and pull firmly and steadily upward. Put the tick in a small container with rubbing alcohol to kill it. Clean the bite wound with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, and keep an eye out for any signs of a rash for the next 30 days.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.