Tularemia confirmed in Utahn
The disease, more commonly called rabbit fever because most known cases in humans have been linked to the handling of rabbits or eating undercooked rabbit meat, is carried by animals and insects such as ticks and mosquitoes.
Health department officials say the individual was exposed while in a rural area several miles southwest of Cedar City but had released no further details.
Because one case can mean an outbreak, county health officials have put out a call to physicians and other health-care providers in the area to check for individuals displaying symptoms associated with infection, described as flu-like but worse.
The disease is fatal in 5 percent of those who are infected but don't seek treatment; 1 percent of those who seek treatment will die from it.
The bacteria can enter the human body through the skin, can be inhaled or swallowed.
Disease symptoms usually aren't life-threatening and most are similar to having a case of pneumonia. It cannot be passed human to human, but it has several routes into the body.
Less common means of infection include drinking contaminated water, inhaling dust from contaminated soil or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.
E-mail: jthalman@desnews.com
Recent comments
Is it a virus or bact. please go back and read the very first sentance…
to Anonymous 10:02pm | Aug. 15, 2008 at 8:46 p.m.
I'm not aware of any government program to hunt rabbits. Since jackrabbits…
Re: Long for the Days | Aug. 15, 2008 at 8:45 a.m.
What modern disease does not display flu-like symptoms?
How in…TommyP | Aug. 15, 2008 at 4:14 a.m.
