Tularemia Across the US: A Decade in Review

Tularemia, a rare disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, has been reported in every U. S. state except Hawaii. It shows up with fever and different symptoms, depending on how you get infected. Usually, less than 2% of cases are fatal, but this can go up based on symptoms and the strain causing the infection. The good news is that antibiotics can treat it. From 2011 to 2022, 47 states reported a total of 2, 462 tularemia cases. Four central states—Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma—made up half of these cases. Kids aged 5-9 and older men aged 65-84 had the highest rates of the disease. American Indian and Alaska Native people had rates five times higher than white people. Over this decade, the average annual tularemia incidence in the U. S. was 0. 064 cases per 100, 000 people, which is 56% higher than the rate from 2001 to 2010. This increase might be due to more cases being reported, better detection, or actual increases in infection. To lower tularemia rates, targeted education on prevention is key. To reduce severe outcomes, healthcare providers, especially those working with tribal populations, need to know how to diagnose and treat the disease early and accurately.