Overview
- Suffolk County health officials confirmed a fourth tularemia case on Thursday and said a tick bite was identified as the source for one of the infections.
- A Riverhead senior is being treated after a cat bite that produced positive blood cultures for the tularemia bacterium and the outdoor cat subsequently died.
- Earlier this season a 9-year-old in Riverhead developed tularemia after an April tick bite and has had prolonged fatigue and a lesion at the bite site.
- Health authorities have increased surveillance, urged clinicians to consider tularemia in patients with fever or swollen lymph nodes, and recommended prevention steps such as repellent, protective clothing, tick checks and pet preventatives because lab confirmation can take weeks.
- Tularemia is rare in the U.S., typically seasonal between May and September and usually treatable with antibiotics, but local officials warn that clustered cases reflect higher localized exposure risk for people who work or spend time outdoors and for their pets.