Suffolk County health officials are tracking three probable cases of tularemia, a rare illness better known as rabbit fever. The cases are still awaiting confirmation, but the warning lands in the middle of a particularly active tick season on Long Island.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services told ABC7 New York that confirmation requires laboratory testing along with specific clinical or epidemiologic criteria, a process that can take several weeks. ABC7 also reported that the New York State Department of Health said there were no confirmed tularemia cases statewide in 2026 as of Friday.
Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people can become infected through tick or deer fly bites, contact with infected animals, contaminated water, or inhaling contaminated dust; most infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics.
The illness took a particularly rough turn for 9-year-old John Detmer of Riverhead, according to ABC7. His mother said she removed a tick from his head after he played in the yard, and that he later endured severe head and neck pain and a fever lasting 10 days before an infectious disease specialist diagnosed tularemia.
Suffolk County’s latest posted disease table lists four tularemia cases in 2024, following three in 2023 and one in 2022, according to the Suffolk County government. The county notes that its historical figures include confirmed and probable cases reported through New York State surveillance.
The local pattern has also drawn attention from researchers. A January 2026 analysis published by the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal found 30 tularemia cases reported in New York from 1993 through 2023, with 13 of them in Suffolk County and one recorded death.
How Residents Can Reduce Their Risk
The name rabbit fever can be misleading because direct contact with rabbits is not required. The New York State Department of Health lists infected tick and deer fly bites, handling infected animal tissue, eating undercooked rabbit meat, contaminated water, soil dust, and animal pelts among the possible exposure routes, while noting that tularemia remains relatively rare in the state.
The CDC recommends using insect repellent, wearing gloves when handling sick or dead animals, and avoiding mowing over dead wildlife. Anyone who develops a persistent fever or unusual skin ulcer after a tick bite or animal exposure should tell a medical provider about that possible exposure, since the CDC says early testing can be inconclusive and repeat testing may be needed.
