Tularemia

Tularemia is a disease that can infect animals and people. Rabbits, hares, and rodents are especially susceptible and often die in large numbers during outbreaks. People can become infected in several ways, including:

• Tick and deer fly bites
• Skin contact with infected animals
• Drinking contaminated water
• Inhaling contaminated aerosols or agricultural and landscaping dust
• Laboratory exposure

In addition, people could be exposed as a result of bioterrorism.

Symptoms vary depending how the person was infected. Tularemia can be life-threatening, but most infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics.

Steps to prevent tularemia include:

• Using insect repellent
• Wearing gloves when handling sick or dead animals
• Avoiding mowing over dead animals

In the United States, naturally occurring infections have been reported from all states except Hawaii.