Tick-borne 'rabbit fever' spreads with cases reported near major metro area

Health officials on Long Island are warning residents about a rare but potentially serious tick-borne illness.Three probable cases of tularemia — also known as "rabbit fever" — have been confirmed by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS)."SCDHS currently has three probable cases of tularemia this year," the agency said in a statement provided to local outlets."Confirmation of a tularemia diagnosis requires a combination of laboratory testing and fulfillment of specific clinical or epidemiologic criteria.

The laboratory testing to confirm a tularemia diagnosis may take several weeks."NO CURE, NO VACCINE: EXPERTS WARN OF RARE BOURBON VIRUS AFTER FIRST NY CASEOne case involved a 9-year-old patient who was bitten by a tick while playing outside, according to NBC4 New York.After the tick was removed, he later developed high fever, severe head and neck pain, swollen lymph nodes/glands, body aches and extreme fatigue.After multiple doctor visits and nearly a month of illness, an infectious disease specialist diagnosed the boy with tularemia.Health officials on Long Island are warning residents about a rare but potentially serious tick-borne illness.

(iStock)Although the family's yard is home to wild rabbits, the patient's mother said he never handled the animals.Doctors believe infected ticks likely fed on the rabbits before biting the boy, transmitting the bacteria, according to reports.Caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis, the disease commonly infects rabbits, hares and rodents.

However, it is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans.The bacteria is a "tier-1 select agent," a classification given to agents and toxins that "present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy, critical infrastructure or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety," per the CDC.TICK BITE ER VISITS HIT HIGHEST SEASONAL LEVEL IN YEARS...