2001-2010 to 2011-2022 Saw Rise in Incidence of Zoonotic Disease Tularemia

THURSDAY, Jan. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The incidence of tularemia, a rare nationally notifiable zoonosis caused by Francisella tularensis, increased from 2001-2010 to 2011-2022, according to research published in the Jan. 2 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Shannan N. Rich, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues describe tularemia cases in the United States during 2011 to 2022.

The researchers note that 47 states reported 2,462 cases of tularemia during 2011 to 2022, and four states (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma) accounted for 50 percent of all reported cases. The incidence was highest among children aged 5 to 9 years and in men aged 65 to 84 years (0.083 per 100,000 population and 0.133 to 0.161 per 100,000 population, respectively). Incidence was approximately five times higher in American Indian or Alaska Native persons versus White persons (0.260 versus 0.057). During 2011 to 2022, the average annual incidence of tularemia was 56 percent higher than that reported during 2001 to 2010 (0.064 and 0.041, respectively), mainly due to increased reporting of probable cases.

“The findings in this report highlight the need for tailored prevention education given the myriad of potential exposures to F. tularensis in the environment, including via inhalation, ingestion, contact with animals, or arthropod bites,” the authors write.

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