The public is advised to exercise caution when handling or eating the meat of a rabbit, muskrat or beaver to reduce the risk of exposure to tularemia, more commonly known as rabbit fever.
Prince Edward Island's Chief Health Officer, Dr. Lamont Sweet advised that a person in New Brunswick recently contracted the disease. "There have been no human cases in P.E.I., but the disease has been diagnosed in muskrats and a beaver in our province, and several precautions are advised when handling or eating the meat of a rabbit, muskrat, or beaver", said Dr. Sweet.
To prevent humans from getting the disease, it is recommended that rubber gloves are worn when skinning or handling wild animals.
Although tularemia is rare in Canada, the bacteria can enter the body through a cut in the skin while handling an animal with the disease. Symptoms include a bump near the cut, swollen glands, fever, cough, and chest discomfort within fourteen days after exposure. Eating improperly cooked meat, usually from a rabbit, can result in symptoms of food poisoning consisting of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Tularemia is treatable by providing antibiotics.
TULAREMIA FACT SHEET
Copied with permission from the N.B. Department of Health and Wellness
What is tularemia?
It is a relatively rare bacterial disease that can affect animals and people. Tularemia is also referred to as rabbit fever. There are several forms of tularemia, classified by clinical presentation and determined by route of exposure. Wild animals, especially rabbits (snowshoe hares), muskrats and beavers, are most often the source for human exposure.
Who is at risk?
Trappers and hunters are most at risk due to their contact with high-risk wild animals during skinning or eviscerating.
How is tularemia spread?
Tularemia is contracted through one of the following routes: Skin – either through a cut in the skin when handling infected animals, or being bitten by an infected deer fly or tick. Stomach – by eating contaminated wild meat (e.g., rabbit) that has not been sufficiently cooked, or less commonly by drinking contaminated water. Lungs – by inhaling dust containing the bacteria (i.e., handling a carcass).
Can tularemia be spread from person to person?
No, there have been no documented cases where tularemia has been spread from one person to another.
What are the symptoms of tularemia?
Incubation period can range between 1 and 14 days but symptoms usually appear in two to five days.
While about 50% of all tularemia cases result in some form of lung infection, the first symptoms are related to route of exposure. Dermal skin exposure is the most common and results in symptoms including blisters or bumps that can lead to skin ulcers at the site of the exposure and swelling and pain in the lymph nodes. Eating contaminated meat can result in a sore throat, stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Inhalation of the organism produces lung infection.
What can be done to prevent the spread of tularemia?
Rubber gloves should be worn when skinning or handling animals, especially rabbits. Care should be taken not to rub eyes or put hands near the mouth (e.g., smoking) while skinning animals. Rabbit, like all wild meats, should be cooked thoroughly before eating.