Tularemia, a rare bacterial infection that spreads between animals and human beings, has seen a large increase in case numbers over the past decade, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. People can become infected via multiple paths, including skin contact with infected animals, getting bitten by ticks and deer flies, consuming contaminated water, and inhaling contaminated aerosols. Among animals, hares, rabbits, and rodents are more susceptible to the bacterium.
“During 2011–2022, 47 states reported 2,462 tularemia cases (0.064 per 100,000 population), representing a 56% increase in incidence compared with 2001–2010,” the agency said in a Jan. 2 report. “Incidence was highest among children aged 5–9 years, older men, and American Indian or Alaska Native persons, among whom incidence was approximately five times that among White persons.”…