Three probable cases of tularemia, a rare bacterial disease also known as "rabbit fever," have been reported in Suffolk County, New York, health officials announced. Confirmation of the diagnosis requires laboratory testing and specific clinical or epidemiological criteria, and may take several weeks.
The Suffolk County Department of Health (SCDHS) stated that tularemia can be spread through tick and deer fly bites, as well as contact with infected rabbits, hares, and rodents. The disease is more common between May and September.
One of the individuals affected is nine-year-old John Detmer, who became ill in late April after a tick was removed from his head. His mother, Tracey Detmer, reported that her son experienced severe head and neck pain and a fever for 10 days. The family lives in Riverhead, an area known to have wild rabbits.
"You feel terrible… He’d be laying there crying at nighttime and like, there’s nothing you can do. You feel terrible," Tracey Detmer told ABC7. "He was sick. He was truly so sick."
It took multiple doctor visits before an infectious disease specialist diagnosed John with tularemia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 196 cases of tularemia were reported in the U.S. in 2023. The SCDHS has reported four cases in 2024 so far, the highest number since before 2014.
Tularemia infections are typically treatable with antibiotics, though the illness can be life-threatening if left untreated. The CDC recommends preventive measures such as using insect repellent, wearing gloves when handling sick or dead animals, and avoiding mowing over dead animals.
This news follows the recent confirmation of Bourbon virus, an even rarer tick-borne virus, in Suffolk County. Michael Larkin, 67, was diagnosed with Bourbon virus after working outdoors in 2021. Bourbon virus, for which there are no preventive vaccines or cures, has symptoms similar to other tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.