Tularemia, a rare but serious bacterial infection transmitted to humans via sick or dead animals, has been confirmed in Boulder and Larimer counties this spring. A dead vole found on CU-Boulder鈥檚 South Campus property (located near Hwy. 36 and Table Mesa Dr.) tested positive for the disease in early June.
Tularemia spreads through several routes, including direct exposure to infected animals such as squirrels, rabbits, prairie dogs, and rodents; insect bites by ticks and deer flies; airborne bacteria disrupted during gardening and landscaping activities; and contaminated food and water.
Symptoms of the disease include flu-and-pneumonia鈥搇ike symptoms, diarrhea, progressive weakness, mouth ulcers, painful lymph swelling, and possibly painful swollen eyes.
To prevent exposure to tularemia, Boulder County Public Health recommends the following precautions:
- Avoid all contact with wild rodents, including squirrels and rabbits; do not feed or handle them.
- Stay out of areas that wild rodents inhabit. If you enter areas with wild rodents, wear insect repellent containing DEET.
- Never touch sick or dead animals with your bare hands. If an animal must be moved, use a long-handled shovel to place it in a garbage bag, and place the bag in an outdoor garbage can.
- Prevent your pets from hunting or eating wild rodents, especially rabbits.
- Avoid ticks. The best protection for pets, especially cats, is to keep them indoors. If outdoors with your pets, keep them out of heavily wooded areas as these areas are ideal places for ticks to live.
- Avoid drinking unpurified water from streams or lakes and keep your pets from doing the same.
- See a healthcare provider if you become ill with a high fever and/or swollen lymph nodes. Tularemia is a treatable illness when diagnosed early.
- See a veterinarian if your pet becomes ill with a high fever and/or swollen lymph nodes.
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