WYOMING — On Thursday, June 27, the Wyoming Division of Well being (WDH) reported a pointy improve in tularemia or “rabbit fever” instances, which has raised concern for state officers as a result of it’s a doubtlessly life threatening illness if left untreated.
Tularemia is a bacterial sickness that ceaselessly impacts rabbits, hares and rodents, and has been related to rabbit and rodent die-offs. Folks may also develop into contaminated with tularemia by means of tick and deer fly bites, pores and skin contact with contaminated animals, ingesting contaminated water, inhaling contaminated aerosols or agricultural and landscaping mud.
Up to now, there have been eight confirmed and suspected instances of tularemia from Sheridan, Campbell and Fremont counties, in line with the WDH.
“Wyoming sometimes solely sees two instances a 12 months,” Infectious Illness Epidemiology Unit Supervisor Clay Van Houten stated within the announcement. “Having eight studies this early in the summertime is alarming so we wished to let individuals know concerning the improve. This isn’t an sickness with big numbers, however it may be fairly critical for the individuals who get sick.”
Van Houten stated the division can’t supply a particular purpose for this 12 months’s improve, however acknowledged climate circumstances might be concerned.
Signs of tularemia can embody fever, swollen eyes, a pores and skin ulcer, swollen lymph nodes, muscle ache, cough, chest ache and pneumonia, in line with the WDH. Most instances of tularemia could be handled with antibiotics.
“As a result of tularemia signs could be mistaken for different, extra frequent infections, you will need to let your healthcare supplier know if in case you have had any potential tularemia exposures,” Van Houten stated.
The WDH says individuals can forestall tularemia by avoiding tick and deer fly bites, not ingesting untreated floor water, carrying gloves when dealing with sick or useless animals and avoiding mowing over useless animals.
Extra details about tularemia could be discovered right here.