Rabbit fever, as it is understood from its name, is caused by rabbit bites. But for your information, let us tell you that it spreads due to dangerous bacteria. It has been placed in the Tier 1 Select Agent category. This category means that it is a dangerous bacteria. According to news, rabbit fever is caused by tularemia bacteria and it can infect animals and humans.
Tularemia is once again increasing its outbreak in America. Its cases are increasing continuously, so far there has been an increase of more than 50 percent. It is a rare disease but its infection spreads very fast. It is also known as rabbit fever. According to reports, the annual average incidence of tularemia infection increased by 56 percent compared to the year 2001 to 2010.
How rabbit fever spreads?
Rabbit fever is caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis. Tularemia can be transmitted to humans by biting infected animals such as rabbits, rodents, hares and prairie dogs, as well as by tick or deer fly bites.
According to the CDC, the infection can also be transmitted by drinking contaminated water and inhaling contaminated aerosols or agricultural and landscaping dust, and through laboratory exposure.
Tularemia symptoms can vary from person to person, with high fever being a common symptom in all forms of the disease. Symptoms and signs of tularemia depend on the route of infection.
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According to the CDC, some of the symptoms include skin blisters, mouth sores and sore throat, among others. Health officials claimed that eye irritation and swelling are other forms of symptoms. This form is called oculoglandular and occurs when the bacteria enters through the eye.
A person can get infected by biting an infected animal or coming into contact with its eyes. Symptoms include irritation and swelling in the eye and swelling of the lymph glands in front of the ear. The second group of symptoms includes cough, chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Know how to avoid it?
Use insect repellent to avoid tick and insect bites.
Wear long sleeves and long pants to keep ticks and deer flies away.
Remove stuck ticks immediately with fine-tipped tweezers.
Avoid drinking stagnant water.
Wear a mask during activities like mowing grass to reduce the risk of bacteria entering the body through breathing. Wear gloves when handling animals like rabbits, musk rats, prairie dogs and other rodents.