Tularemia , or also called "rabbit fever", is an infectious disease, as dangerous as smallpox or anthrax and common in the northeastern United States, Europe and Asia. The bacterium that causes it is Francisella tularensis and due to its strong environmental resistance (it resists cold at sub-zero temperatures and even bleach), it becomes a threat to public health.
Although it resides in rodents, rats and rabbits, human contact with an infected animal is the cause of immediate contagion and also the inhalation or ingestion of water or food contaminated with the bacteria. It also affects domestic animals (herbivores and small carnivores) and other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Its danger is such that it is considered a very powerful biological weapon.
Its fatal discovery occurred in 1911 , when the epidemic infected numerous squirrels that were found dead next to Lake Tulare, in California, from which it took its name. A little later, in the middle of World War II, the former Soviet Union used Tularemia as a weapon against the German army that was in Stalingrad. The casualties were heavy but affected both one side and the other.
Fortunately, the bacterium also has its Achilles heel : it is sensitive to sunlight. Half an hour of sun exposure is enough to kill it. Hence, winter is the most problematic time to hinder its infection.
