Three Probable 'Rabbit Fever' Cases Reported in Suffolk County

Health officials are alerting Suffolk County residents to a rare tick-borne bacterial illness called tularemia — commonly known as rabbit fever — after three probable cases were identified on Long Island this year.

One of those cases involves John Detmer, a 9-year-old boy from Riverhead who has been slowly recovering from the illness after a tick bite. His mother, Tracey Detmer, said he was bitten by a tick in late April. The weeks that followed brought prolonged fevers, swollen lymph nodes, body aches and fatigue before doctors arrived at the tularemia diagnosis. His family said he completed two rounds of antibiotic treatment but was still recovering more than two months later.

Suffolk County health officials characterized all three cases as probable, noting that confirmation requires both laboratory testing and specific clinical criteria — a process that can take several weeks to complete.

Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. It spreads when a tick bites an infected animal, most commonly a rabbit, and subsequently bites a person. The disease does not pass from one person to another. Common symptoms include high fever, extreme fatigue, headache, swollen lymph nodes and, in cases contracted through a tick bite, a large skin sore at the bite site. Symptoms generally appear three to five days after exposure but may take up to three weeks to develop.

Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, said the illness tends to land patients in the emergency room. She noted that this tick season has been particularly severe in Suffolk County and raised the possibility that last winter's heavy snow cover may have contributed to a larger tick population by protecting eggs from cold temperatures.

The county urged residents to check themselves and their children for ticks after outdoor activity, use insect repellent, and seek medical attention if an open sore develops following a tick bite. Anyone bitten by a tick who develops a high fever and persistent flu-like symptoms should consult a physician and mention the tick exposure.

Fewer than 200 tularemia cases are reported nationally each year, according to federal health data.