Three Probable Tularemia Cases Reported in Suffolk County, Raising Tick-Borne Disease Concerns
核心洞察
Suffolk County health officials report three probable cases of tularemia (搜索) (rabbit fever) in 2026, a rare tick-borne illness with only about 200 cases nationwide annually.
A 9-year-old boy from Riverhead suffered severe head and neck pain with a 10-day fever after a tick bite, requiring two rounds of doxycycline and still experiencing fatigue three months later.
Dr. Sharon Nachman of Stony Brook Children's Hospital (搜索) notes this has been a particularly bad tick season in Suffolk County, though the reason for increased cases remains unclear.
Three probable cases of tularemia (搜索) — a rare infectious disease also known as "rabbit fever" — have been reported in Suffolk County, Long Island, prompting health officials to urge vigilance against ticks this summer. The Suffolk County Department of Health Services (搜索) (SCDHS) confirmed the cases, noting that laboratory confirmation may take several weeks.
"SCDHS currently has three probable cases of Tularemia (搜索) this year," the department stated. "Confirmation of a tularemia diagnosis requires a combination of laboratory testing and fulfilment of specific clinical or epidemiologic criteria. The laboratory testing to confirm a tularemia diagnosis may take several weeks."
Clinical Presentation and Patient Impact
Tracey Detmer of Riverhead described her 9-year-old son John's ordeal, which began on April 23 when she removed a tick from his head after he had been playing in their yard. What followed was nearly a month of fevers, swollen glands, body aches, and fatigue before an infectious disease specialist diagnosed him with tularemia (搜索).
"You feel terrible, you truly, like, he'd be laying there crying at nighttime and like, there's nothing you can do, you feel terrible," Detmer said. "He was sick, he was truly so sick."
John suffered from severe head and neck pain along with a 10-day fever. The family visited doctors multiple times before receiving the correct diagnosis. "Our infectious disease doctor said he's only seen it once in his whole career," Tracey Detmer noted.
More than two months after his diagnosis, John continues to recover despite completing two rounds of doxycycline. "I'm still hurting. I can go to sleep, but I just get really tired," he said.
Disease Transmission and Epidemiology
Tularemia (搜索) is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis and is considered a rare but serious illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (搜索), approximately 200 cases are reported nationwide each year. The disease is not contagious from person to person.
Transmission occurs through several routes: contact with blood or tissue while handling infected animals, bites from infected deerflies or ticks, handling or eating insufficiently cooked rabbit meat, drinking contaminated water, inhaling dust from contaminated soil, or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Stony Brook Children's Hospital (搜索), explained the mechanism: "It's really the ticks, right around the rabbit when you are near them as well. That coincidence of illnesses really has to happen in a short frame of time."
Clinical Features and Treatment
"The area of the bite forms an ulcer, and it's a relatively obvious ulcer," said Dr. Nachman. "We know how to diagnose it. And most importantly, we have great antibiotics to treat it. So, it's not a problem of diagnosis or treatment. It's really a question of who gets infected and why."
Despite effective antibiotic therapy, recovery can be prolonged. Dr. Nachman emphasized there is no quick fix, and it could take weeks or months to feel better — consistent with John's ongoing fatigue three months after the tick bite.
Seasonal Context and Public Health Response
Dr. Nachman noted that this tick season has been particularly severe in Suffolk County. "Every year there's about 200 cases of tularemia (搜索). So, it's not surprising that we would see some here in Long Island. The question that we're asking is why are we seeing perhaps more this year than in the past? We've had a very bad tick season this year. Is it because we had all that winter snow and we didn't kill off the tick eggs? Who knows? Are we in their environment? Absolutely."
The New York State Department of Health stated: "The New York State Department of Health takes the spread of diseases seriously and works with local health departments to provide guidance on prevention and treatment." The department noted there are no confirmed cases in New York State in 2026, as laboratory confirmation remains pending.
The Suffolk County Health Department visited the Detmer family's home to search for additional ticks in the yard but did not find any. The Detmers reported frequent visits from wild rabbits to their property, though Tracey said her son never got close enough to touch them.
Prevention Strategies
Dr. Nachman stressed that prevention remains key, recommending long sleeves, long pants, and gloves to keep ticks off the body, as well as avoiding sick or dead wild rabbits. These measures are particularly important given the apparent increase in tick activity this season and the potentially prolonged recovery associated with tularemia (搜索) infection.