Health Warning: Ticks Found In San Diego Have 'Rabbit Fever'

SAN DIEGO, CA -- San Diego health officials on Tuesday announced that ticks found in the region tested positive for tularemia, a potentially dangerous bacterial disease also known as “rabbit fever.” The discovery prompted officials to urge the public to protect themselves and their pets from ticks when hiking or walking in grassy, backcountry areas, on trails and in the wild.

Ticks are tiny, eight-legged parasites related to spiders. They crawl out on leaves and vegetation and extend their hooked front legs to latch onto passing animals and people, then bite and feed on blood. Even though tick diseases are rare in San Diego County, they have also been known to carry other diseases including Lyme disease and spotted fever illnesses, officials said in a press release.

Vector Control officials said they have been finding increased numbers of ticks this year around the county, although the ones collected in Sorrento Valley were the only ones that have tested positive for any disease

The County’s Vector Control Program monitors the population of vectors — animals like ticks, fleas, rodents and mosquitoes — that can transmit diseases to people.

Tularemia can be successfully treated with antibiotics, but can be dangerous and even fatal. County public health officials said anyone who is bitten by a tick should not panic, but carefully remove it. They said if a person develops a rash or fever within several weeks of being bitten they should see a doctor, tell them about the tick bite, when they were bitten and where they think it happened.

Health officials offered the following tips to help you protect yourself, your family and pets from ticks:

• Wear insect repellent
• Stay on designated pathways
• Avoid grass and brush
• Frequently check your clothing, body and companions for tick
• Leave pets at home or keep them leashed

For more information about ticks go to the county of San Diego Department of Environmental Health’s Tick webpage, and the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tick webpage.

--Photo via County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health