Health · Public Health & Disease · 3 hrs ago
Florida man diagnosed with rare tularemia after months of illness
A 36-year-old man in Florida was diagnosed with tularemia, also called rabbit fever, after months of illness.
He had fevers, night sweats and severe fatigue, and lost 30 pounds before doctors identified the infection.
The man had hunted outdoors and later recalled a tick bite, but doctors did not establish how he became infected.
Tularemia is caused by bacteria and can spread through tick bites or by eating undercooked meat from infected animals.
Florida has recorded five cases in the past decade, while three probable cases were reported in New York this year.
The cases have raised concern that the disease may be appearing in new areas as warmer weather allows ticks to spread.
Experts advise extra caution during peak tick season, and doctors say tularemia should be considered when difficult-to-diagnose illness occurs.
A 36-year-old Florida man was diagnosed with tularemia after months of illness and several visits to an emergency room.
The man had fevers, night sweats, chills and tiredness, and later developed severe fatigue and other symptoms.
Doctors ordered tests for tick-borne diseases after he reported hunting deer and wild turkeys and later said he had suffered a tick bite.
The case was Florida’s fifth in a decade and ninth since 2005, according to the article.
Tularemia can spread through tick bites or by eating undercooked meat from infected animals.
- Who
- An unidentified 36-year-old man in Florida.
- What
- He was diagnosed with tularemia, also known as rabbit fever.
- When
- The article was published on October 13, 2026; the illness lasted for months before diagnosis.
- Where
- Florida, United States.
- Why
- Doctors tested for tick-borne diseases after he reported hunting and a past tick bite.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The man first went to an emergency unit with fevers, night sweats, shivering and tiredness.
He returned after developing severe fatigue that caused him to miss work.
He returned with a 103F fever and other symptoms, and doctors ordered further tests after learning he had hunted and eaten wild meat.
The tests revealed that he had tularemia.
- Age
- 36
- Florida cases
- Fifth case in a decade
- Florida cases since 2005
- Ninth
- Weight loss
- 30lbs
- Fever
- 103F
- Reported tick bite
- About two to three months before he told doctors about it
What people are saying
With climate patterns changing, to which insect vectors are particularly sensitive, re-emergence of otherwise rare infectious disease pathogens can be seen and should be explored in otherwise difficult-to-diagnose cases.
Sources
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