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Riverhead woman gets 'rabbit fever' from cat bite
Newsday • • health
Key Points:
- A Riverhead woman is being treated for tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, after being bitten by her outdoor cat, marking the fourth such case in Suffolk County this year.
- Tularemia is a rare disease transmitted by ticks and flies from infected wild animals, with cats particularly susceptible due to their outdoor exposure to ticks and small mammals.
- The woman initially received treatment for the cat bite but was later diagnosed with tularemia after blood cultures tested positive; unfortunately, her cat died from the disease.
- Suffolk County has reported increasing tularemia cases, with four in 2024 compared to three in 2023 and one in 2022, while Nassau County has had no cases so far this year.
- Symptoms of tularemia include high fever, swollen lymph nodes, and sores at bite sites; recovery can be prolonged, as seen in a local child who remains fatigued months after treatment.
