Fourth case of rare, highly infectious ‘rabbit fever’ confirmed on Long Island

Nypost · Aug 07, 2026 · 385 words · By FOX Weather

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What to know about Fourth case of rare, highly infectious ‘rabbit fever’ confirmed on Long Island

Fourth case of rare, highly infectious ‘rabbit fever’ confirmed on Long Island See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Fourth case of rare, highly infectious ‘rabbit fever’ confirmed on Long Island See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Rabbit fever cases are on the rise as a fourth case was confirmed in Suffolk County, prompting health officials to urge the public to stay aware and take precautions.

Common ground

Tularemia, commonly known as rabbit fever, is a highly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Fourth case of rare, highly infectious ‘rabbit fever’ confirmed on Long Island?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that a fourth case was confirmed in Suffolk County?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/07/us-news/long-island-confirms-4th-case-of-rare-high…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info Single Source 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

schedule Pending 1

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Claim 1: “a fourth case was confirmed in Suffolk County”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results explicitly confirm that a fourth case of tularemia (rabbit fever) was confirmed in Suffolk County in 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suffolk County ( SUF-ək) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. Suffolk is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by G…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County,_New_York

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Big Duck is a 20-foot-tall (6.1 m) ferrocement building in the shape of a duck: a canonical example of novelty architecture. Built in 1931 in Riverhead, New York, United States, it was moved sever…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Duck

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Long Island (abbreviated as LI) is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York State, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “common signs include a high fever of up to 104 degrees, skin ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, and severe lung infections.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including a specific report on the Long Island cases and medical sites (iMedic), confirm symptoms include high fever (up to 104), skin ulcers, and swollen lymph nodes.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive, long-term pattern across several contexts of significant interpersonal relationship instability, extreme f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorde…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor and non-motor systems. The motor symptoms, collectively ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson's_disease

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a mood disorder characterized by emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms. PMDD can cause significant distress and impairment during the luteal phase of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premenstrual_dysphoric_disorde…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 3: “Infections commonly occur between the months of May through September”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the specific seasonal window of May through September.

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Claim 4: “Tularemia, commonly known as rabbit fever, is a highly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent cross-references (Denver7 and Nypost) confirm that tularemia/rabbit fever is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — The disease, also known as “rabbit fever,” is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis
https://www.denver7.com/lifestyle/health/residents-visitors-…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — “Rabbit fever” is one nickname for tularemia, an infection from the bacteria Francisella tularensis.
https://nypost.com/health/what-is-rabbit-fever-tularemia/

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Claim 5: “Fortunately, the illness does not spread from person to person.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (MSD Manual, City of Toronto, and a health information site) explicitly state that tularemia does not spread from person to person.

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web search NEUTRAL — Tularemia does not spread from person to person.Prevention of Tularemia. When entering endemic areas, people should use tick-proof clothing and repellents. A thorough search for ticks should be done a…
https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/…

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web search NEUTRAL — Since tularemia is not spread from person to person, someone diagnosed with tularemia does not need to stay home and separate from others. Diagnosis and Treatment.
https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care…

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web search NEUTRAL — Key Facts About Rabbit FeverSymptoms usually begin three to five days after exposure.Rabbit fever does not spread from person to person.Is rabbit fever contagious? No. Tularemia does not spread from p…
https://health.stonybrookmedicine.edu/what-is-rabbit-fever-t…

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Claim 6: “While it primarily affects wildlife — such as rabbits, hares, and rodents — ticks and deer flies frequently pick up the bacteria and transmit it to humans.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including the CDC and Wikipedia, confirm that tularemia affects wildlife (rodents) and is transmitted to humans via tick and deer fly bites.

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web search NEUTRAL — Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. [4] Symptoms may include fever, skin ulcers, and enlarged lymph nodes. [3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tularemia

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web search NEUTRAL — May 15, 2024 · Tularemia is a potentially serious illness caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. People can become infected in several different ways, including tick and deer fly bites, and c…
https://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/about/index.html

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web search NEUTRAL — Tularemia is a highly infectious disease you get from the bacterium F. tularensis. It commonly spreads from infected animals to people through insect bites, animal tissues or bodily fluids, and contam…
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17775-tularem…

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Claim 7: “County health officials identified a tick bite as the source for one of the four local infections”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the existence of four cases is corroborated, the specific detail that 'one of the four' was identified as a tick bite is not explicitly confirmed across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence; some sources mention tick bites generally or for the child's case, but not as a specific count for the current group of four.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suffolk ( SUF-ək) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suffolk County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 70 elected county councillors representing 69 divisions. It is a member of the East of England…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County_Council

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Tularemia can be life-threatening, but most infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics.”

CORROBORATED

The CDC and other medical sources confirm that while the disease can be life-threatening, it is successfully treated with antibiotics.

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web search NEUTRAL — Tularemia can be life-threatening, but most infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics. Steps to prevent tularemia include: Using insect repellent.
https://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/about/index.html

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web search NEUTRAL — Though tularemia can be life-threatening, most infections can be treated with antibiotics.
https://pharos.nih.gov/diseases/tularemia

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web search NEUTRAL — Tularemia is treated with antibiotics that kill the bacteria causing the illness. These antibiotics may be given by injection (a shot) or taken by mouth (as pills). If the infection is serious, you ma…
https://www.icliniq.com/articles/infectious-diseases/tularem…

verified

Claim 9: “the child suffered from swollen lymph nodes and a fever that lasted about 11 days”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Wikipedia entries for the numbers 9 and 11, and does not contain any medical or news reports confirming the specific duration of the child's fever or the presence of swollen lymph nodes in that specific case.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In numerology, 11:11 is considered to be a significant moment in time for an event to occur. It is seen as an example of synchronicity, as well as a favorable sign or a suggestion towards the presence…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11:11_(numerology)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 11:11, Eleven Eleven, or variations of the two, may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11:11

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eleven or 11 may refer to: 11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “This latest case follows reports from earlier this summer, which included a 9-year-old child who fell ill after being bitten by a tick.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm a 9-year-old child in Suffolk County contracted the disease via a tick bite earlier in the year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suffolk County may refer to: Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States Suffolk County, New York, United States Suffolk, a county of England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suffolk County ( SUF-ək) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County,_Massachusetts

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “approximately 200 to 300 cases reported annually in the US, according to the CDC.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.