Health officers are warning residents a few rare tick-borne sickness after three cases have been reported on Long Island.
Three individuals in Suffolk County have been confirmed to have come down with tularemia, often known as rabbit fever. The illness may cause excessive fevers and excessive fatigue, and docs say signs will be extra extreme than extra frequent tick-borne diseases akin to Lyme illness.
John Detmer was recognized earlier in 2026 after a tick chew on his head led to extreme signs that lasted for weeks, based on his household.
“It’s like painful, like my neck was hurting me. Sometimes my legs would,” the 9-year-old mentioned. “It hurt it really bad when I touched it.”
John’s mom, Tracey Detmer, mentioned the household initially didn’t join the wound on his scalp to the sickness, and he or she mentioned the situation isn’t seen. She mentioned the physician she introduced her son to — an infectious illness physician — informed her he had solely ever seen tularemia as soon as earlier than in his profession.
Tularemia is unfold by ticks, which may chew a sick rabbit after which unfold the illness to individuals, Suffolk County officers mentioned.
Dr. Sharon Nachman of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital mentioned the signs will be intense and sometimes immediate emergency care.
“You have a headache, your muscles hurt, your joints hurt, you’re miserable and you are often in the emergency room,” mentioned Dr. Nachman. “This is not the kind of illness that you’re at home going, I feel a little unwell.”
Tularemia, generally often known as “rabbit fever,” is an sickness brought on by bacterial an infection that may be unfold by insect bites and dealing with contaminated animals, based on the CDC.
Nachman cautioned individuals to keep away from going close to useless or dying wild rabbits, although John mentioned he by no means did and had solely performed in his yard. His mom mentioned the main target must be on prevention and monitoring for tick bites.
“You can’t go near [rabbits], they run away. So it’s not don’t go near them — you can’t. So it’s just tick checks,” mentioned Detmer.
Multiple rounds of antibiotics in the end stopped 11 days of fever and extreme ache on John’s scalp, and he’s feeling higher now, the household mentioned.
Health officers emphasised that tularemia is treatable with antibiotics, however as a result of it’s rare, individuals ought to know what to search for. Anyone who believes they’ve been bitten by a tick, and the chew develops into an open sore or wound, is urged to name a health care provider.
This story was initially reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI instruments helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication.
