What is rabbit fever? Cases of rare tick-borne illness reported on Long Island
Health officials are warning residents about a rare tick-borne illness after three cases were reported on Long Island.
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Three people in Suffolk County were confirmed to have come down with tularemia, also known as rabbit fever. The disease can cause high fevers and extreme fatigue, and doctors say symptoms can be more severe than more common tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease.
John Detmer was diagnosed earlier in 2026 after a tick bite on his head led to severe symptoms that lasted for weeks, according to his family.
“It’s like painful, like my neck was hurting me. Sometimes my legs would,” the 9-year-old said. “It hurt it really bad when I touched it.”
John’s mother, Tracey Detmer, said the family initially did not connect the wound on his scalp to the illness, and she said the condition is rarely seen. She said the doctor she brought her son to — an infectious disease doctor — told her he had only ever seen tularemia once before in his career.
Tularemia is spread through ticks, which can bite a sick rabbit and then spread the disease to people, Suffolk County officials said.
Dr. Sharon Nachman of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital said the symptoms can be intense and often prompt emergency care.
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“You have a headache, your muscles hurt, your joints hurt, you’re miserable and you are often in the emergency room,” said Dr. Nachman. “This is not the kind of illness that you’re at home going, I feel a little unwell.”
Tularemia, commonly known as “rabbit fever,” is an illness caused by bacterial infection that can be spread by insect bites and handling infected animals, according to the CDC.
Nachman cautioned people to avoid going near dead or dying wild rabbits, though John said he never did and had only played in his backyard. His mother said the focus should 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,” said Detmer.
Multiple rounds of antibiotics ultimately stopped 11 days of fever and severe pain on John’s scalp, and he is feeling better now, the family said.
Health officials emphasized that tularemia is treatable with antibiotics, but because it is rare, people should know what to look for. Anyone who believes they have been bitten by a tick, and the bite develops into an open sore or wound, is urged to call a doctor.
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