New Yorkers fear the spread of two viruses in the state. Days after reports of a deadly Bourbon virus on Long Island, authorities on Monday confirmed three probable cases of rabbit fever (tularemia) this year.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) confirmed the cases following a July article by Stony Brook Medicine about a confirmed Bourbon virus infection on Long Island.
What is rabbit fever?
Rabbit fever, or tularemia, is caused by the Francisella tularensis bacteria. It spreads through bites from ticks or flies, most commonly the Lone Star tick and American dog tick, according to CNN.
A person who is in direct contact with a sick animal, either through drinking water or through breathing in contaminated dust, can also get rabbit fever. Consumption of undercooked rabbit meat is also associated with this disease. However, the disease does not spread from one person to another.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cases of tularemia are more common from May to September, and data from 2019 to 2023 show fewer than 200 cases reported each year.
Suffolk County has also seen cases of rabbit fever in the low single digits over the years. In 2024, there were only four cases reported from the region; three were reported in 2023 and only one in 2022, according to data from the county's health department accessed by CNN.
What are symptoms and treatment of rabbit fever?
Symptoms of rabbit fever, or tularemia, in humans include swollen lymph nodes, high fever, body aches, tiredness, and a large sore if a tick or fly has bitten the person.
Symptoms in an affected individual will appear within three to five days post-exposure, while they can take around 21 days to develop. There is a chance the sore could lead to an infection that enters the bloodstream and progresses to sepsis, which can be a deadly condition.
Antibiotics like streptomycin, gentamicin and amikacin can be used to treat the vaccine, the New York State Department of Health said.
There is a vaccine which was made available for workers in laboratories dealing with the bacteria, but it has not been released to the public and is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
