What is rabbit fever? Cases of rare tick-borne illness reported in NYC

Health officials in New York are warning residents about the rare tick-borne illness after three cases were reported on Long Island.

Health officials in New York are warning residents about a rare tick-borne illness after three cases were reported on Long Island.

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 those of more common tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease.

John Detmer, 9, was diagnosed this year 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 boy 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.