October is the beginning of small-game hunting season in Colorado, and officials are warning hunters about tularemia.
“We haven’t seen this many tularemia cases in Colorado since the 1980s,” said State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer House.
In the past 10 years, Colorado has averaged three human cases of tularemia a year, House said. “So far in 2014, we have had 11, and additional suspected cases are under investigation.”
Local health departments have received reports of rabbit and rodent die-offs across the state. Tularemia, a bacterial disease, causes illness and death in rabbits and rodents. People can get tularemia by handling animals or from ticks or deer flies.
People also can be exposed to tularemia by touching contaminated soil, drinking contaminated water or inhaling bacteria. Hunters are most at risk when skinning game and preparing and consuming the meat.
Hunters should:
Harvest only small game that looks healthy. Beware of lazy rabbits.
Avoid hunting in areas where dead small game has been found.
Wear gloves when handling small game, and wash your hands.
Cook all game meat to 160-170 degrees.
Notify your public health department or local wildlife office if you notice sick or dead rabbits or rodents.
Symptoms of tularemia include abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, vomiting, dry cough and difficulty breathing. Other symptoms are skin ulcers, swollen and painful lymph glands, inflamed eyes, sore throat, mouth sores, diarrhea or pneumonia. Tularemia often is overlooked as a diagnosis because it is rare, and the symptoms are similar to other diseases. Nine of the 11 people infected with tularemia this year were hospitalized for treatment.
Anyone who becomes ill after exposure to a sick or dead animal, or after spending time in areas where sick or dead wild animals have been seen, should talk to a health care provider about the possibility of tularemia. Tularemia is treatable with antibiotics.