Tularemia / Two Human Cases / Nebraska

A rare infectious disease is confirmed in Lincoln County. So far, two people in the area were affected by tularemia. Josh Davies is your typical 9 year old kid. He loves the outdoors and this summer has been no exception. “The first week of June, he did a fishing camp at the school so he was around the lakes and river near North Platte. So every day I said ‘Let’s check for ticks.’

I grew up camping and knew that was kind of the standard thing,” says Kim Davies, Son Has Tularemia. Kim Davies removed three ticks from her son. But one never seemed to heal. “A couple days later it started hurting on my neck,” says Josh Davies, has Tularemia. “He was getting tireder and tireder and more and more neck pain. It got to the point where he was so stiff he wasn’t even moving his neck like it was broken or something,” says Lee Davies, Son Has Tularemia.

The Davies took Josh to urgent care but it just got worse. They went to the hospital where Josh was diagnosed with a rare disease called Tularemia that’s transmitted through animals by ticks. “It’s mostly rodents and rabbits are probably the main reservoir but other rodents can carry the bacteria,” says Eduardo Freitas, M.D., Infectious Disease Physician.

Tick and deer fly bites are one of the most common ways the disease is transmitted. It’s also transmitted through skin contact with infected animals, ingestion of infected water, and inhaling infected dust contaminants. And while it is contagious between animals and humans. “Not be spread from human to human,” Freitas says. People exposed to Tularemia have a skin ulcer and irritation near the infected area. They also have swollen lymph glands, sore throat, mouth ulcers, fever.

If it is inhaled, it could cause pneumonia. If you experience symptoms, see a physician immediately. “The treatment is antibiotics, they usually respond very good and people do very well,” says Freitas. To help prevent exposure to the disease, wear bug spray with a high percentage of DEET. Wear long pants and shirts with long sleeves in areas where ticks are common. And if you come in contact with a tick, removing it immediately reduces transmission.

Wear gloves when coming in contact with rodents and watch for dead animals when mowing. And even though there is two confirmed cases in the area and several statewide, physicians aren’t worried yet. “They are still within the expected numbers unless this changes over the next few weeks then we’ll be more alarmed,” Freitas says. Josh spent several days on IV antibiotics and his family says he’s responding well to additional treatment. The Davies say the experience won’t prevent them from their summer activities but they do have advice for other parents.

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