Two Weld County men were diagnosed with tularemia — also known as rabbit fever — this week and health officials believe both were most likely exposed while mowing or working in their yards.
County health officials say one of the men is hospitalized while the other is recovering at home, according to a news release issued Thursday.
The two have been identified as a 79-year old from Milliken and an 80-year old from Greeley.
“We are seeing an unusually high number of human tularemia cases along the Front Range this year,” Dr. Mark E. Wallace, executive director of the Weld County Health Department, said in a statement. “The public really needs to be cautious and not get exposed to this disease.”
A Boulder County resident who contracted tularemia last month after doing yardwork . That person’s case was the first in Boulder County this year.
In 2014, Colorado saw at least 11 cases of tularemia in humans, more than three times the previous average in the state, .
Tularemia can be effectively treated with antibiotics. Untreated tularemia can lead to hospitalization and may even be fatal.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
