Beware of muskrats with “rabbit fever” disease in Norfolk

Norfolk County residents are being warned to stay away from wildlife after approximately three dozen diseased muskrats were discovered in the Long Point area.

The muskrats were found to be carrying a bacteria that causes tularemia, an infectious disease also known as rabbit fever."

Along with rabbits, tularemia afflicts muskrats, beavers and other rodents, and can also be carried by deer flies and ticks.

If transmitted to humans, tularemia typically attacks the skin, eyes, lungs and lymph nodes.

Humans can become infected after handling an infected animal, ingesting contaminated food or water, being bitten or licked by an infected insect or animal, or inhaling contaminated aerosols from contaminated soil," the health unit said in a media release.

Health unit spokesperson Matt Terry noted that there have been four recorded human cases of tularemia in Ontario between 2007 and 2017. Antibiotic treatment has proven effective.

It's not a particularly common disease. It's a treatable disease, and death is quite rare with treatment," Terry said.

The main message is just to stay away from wild animals, living or dead."

According to a report from the Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative (CWHC), over 35 muskrats were found either dead or sick in the Crown Marsh area of Long Point in mid-April.

Post-mortem examination of several samples found the muskrats to have enlarged lymph nodes and telltale white spots on their spleens. Further tests at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg confirmed the presence of the bacteria that causes tularemia.

Tularemia is common in Ontario but reported cases among wildlife are rare. The CWHC database only lists three other cases - two beavers in 1994 and a beaver from the Pembroke area in 2003.

Symptoms of tularemia can arise suddenly within a few days of exposure. They include high fever, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph glands, skin ulcers and nausea.

Especially now that Long Point's nature reserves have reopened for hikers, paddlers and birdwatchers, the health unit is urging Norfolk residents to stay away from wildlife, keep pets on a leash, and wash their hands, especially after touching surface water.

Anyone who suspects they might have contracted tularemia should see their doctor. More information about the disease can be found on the health unit's website.

J.P. Antonacci's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.