Rare, insect-carried disease found in Boulder County rabbit

Heather Willard
·2 min read

DENVER (KDVR) — After a slightly more active year for tularemia cases, or “rabbit fever,” in Colorado last year, Boulder County said it identified a dead rabbit with the disease this year.

The rabbit was found west of 95th Street near Phillips Road in a part of unincorporated Boulder County. Health officials will post warning signs throughout the neighborhood on the risks of tularemia.

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“It’s always important to avoid contact with wild animals because of the risk of many diseases,” said Lane Drager, Boulder County Public Health Consumer Protection Program coordinator, in a county announcement. “Although tularemia is rare, it is still a risk, especially considering the number of wild rabbits in our communities.”

Last year there were four human cases of tularemia in Boulder County and 11 total in Colorado. According to the Boulder County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control, there are several ways humans can be infected, including:

  • Tick and deer fly bites

  • Skin contact with infected animals

  • Drinking contaminated water

  • Inhaling aerosols

In the past 13 years, Colorado has seen an average of 5.8 human tularemia cases, although that’s disregarding 2015 when the state reported 52 cases.

The Boulder County Health Department said that infections can spread through bites of infected insects, or when the bacteria is inhaled, such as when an infected carcass is mowed over. Tularemia’s symptoms can include:

  • Skin ulcers

  • Swollen and painful lymph glands

  • Inflamed eyes

  • Sore throat

  • Mouth sores

  • Diarrhea

  • Pneumonia

  • Abrupt onset of:

    • fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough, difficulty breathing, bloody sputum (throat mucus) and respiratory failure

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Tularemia is treatable when detected in the early stages, the Boulder agency shared. However, they also suggested several precautions, including:

  • Stay out of areas inhabited by wild rodents, including rabbits — if you must enter such an area, wear insect repellent with DEET

  • Prevent pets from hunting and eating wild rodents

  • Prevent contact with wild rodents

  • Never touch sick or dead animals with bare hands

  • Don’t mow over animal carcasses and consider wearing a dust mask for landscaping work

  • Do not drink unpurified water, and keep your pets from doing that, too

  • Avoid ticks — the best protection for pets is to keep them inside or out of heavily wooded areas

Should you become ill with a high fever or swollen lymph nodes, seek medical attention. Seek veterinarian treatment if your pet exhibits a high fever or swollen lymph nodes.

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