Tularemia can cause symptoms including a fever, chills, vomiting and abdominal pain, but is treatable with antibiotics
NEED TO KNOW
- Tularemia, a rare bacterial disease, was detected in a dead rabbit in Colorado’s Larimer County last week, according to health officials
- The disease can spread from animals — most commonly rabbits, hares, rodents and ticks — to humans through insect bites, animal tissue, bodily fluids and contaminated food and water
- Officials have advised residents to take extra precautions when outdoors to reduce risk
Health officials in northern Colorado have warned people in the area that a rare disease linked to rabbits and ticks has been detected.
The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment said in a statement on Tuesday, June 9, that tularemia was confirmed in a dead rabbit found in the town of Berthoud.
It added that because the disease, sometimes known as “rabbit fever,” is endemic in the county, which borders Wyoming, it could be present in other areas as well.
Per the Cleveland Clinic, tularemia is a highly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. It spreads from infected animals to people through insect bites, animal tissue, bodily fluids and contaminated food and water…