What is rabbit fever? Disease you can catch mowing your lawn has infected 3 on Long Island

Nypost · Aug 03, 2026 · 627 words · By Rachel Sacks

Public Health Warning Environmental Health Risks

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What to know about Public Health Warning

Disease you can catch mowing your lawn has infected 3 on Long Island See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 20

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

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

What happened

Disease you can catch mowing your lawn has infected 3 on Long Island See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google The Suffolk County Department of Health (SCDHS) announced three potential cases of an illness known as “rabbit fever.” The highly infectious bacterial disease tularemia is known to spread through tick and deerfly bites, as well…

Common ground

While the disease is rare, four cases were reported in 2024, the highest number since before 2014, as the illness is more common during May through September.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public Health Warning story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that “Rabbit fever” is one nickname for tularemia, an infection from the bacteria Francisella tularensis?
How does this story connect Public Health Warning with Environmental Health Risks over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/health/what-is-rabbit-fever-tularemia/

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 50% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 60% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 20 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 10

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

info Single Source 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: ““Rabbit fever” is one nickname for tularemia, an infection from the bacteria Francisella tularensis.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis and is commonly nicknamed 'rabbit fever'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Tularemia can cause symptoms including a fever, chills, vomiting and abdominal pain, but is treatable with antibiotics.Per the Cleveland Clinic, tularemia is a highly infectious disease caused by the …
https://www.aol.com/articles/rare-rabbit-fever-causes-vomiti…

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web search NEUTRAL — Tularemia (rabbit fever) is an infection caused by the Francisella tularensis bacteria. Symptoms include fever, headache, and rash. Read about diagnosis, treatment, and its possible use in bioterroris…
https://www.medicinenet.com/tularemia/article.htm

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Unlock the secrets of tularemia symptoms, the telltale signs of 'rabbit fever' caused by the highly infectious bacterium Francisella tularensis. Learn why recognizing these signs is crucial for timely…
https://www.icicilombard.com/health-insurance/diseases/blogs…

verified

Claim 2: “One nine-year-old victim, John Detmer, became sick in late April after a tick off was pulled off his head”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results provided for this claim are irrelevant (referring to a movie character named Andrew Detmer and a football player named Koy Detmer). No evidence was found confirming a nine-year-old victim named John Detmer.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chronicle is a 2012 American film directed by Josh Trank in his feature-length directorial debut, and written by Max Landis. It follows three Seattle high school seniors—bullied Andrew (Dane DeHaan), …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicle_(film)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dane William DeHaan ( də-HAHN; born February 6, 1986) is an American actor. His roles include Andrew Detmer in Chronicle (2012), Jason Glanton in The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Lucien Carr in Kill…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dane_DeHaan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Koy Dennis Detmer (born July 5, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koy_Detmer

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The Suffolk County Department of Health (SCDHS) announced three potential cases of an illness known as “rabbit fever.””

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources (Cleveland.com, WABC via Cleveland.com, and another news report) confirm that the Suffolk County Department of Health (SCDHS) announced three probable cases of tularemia/rabbit fever.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Errol D. Toulon Jr. (born July 20, 1962) is the 67th and current sheriff of Suffolk County, New York on Long Island. Toulon is the first African American sheriff and first African American elected off…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Errol_D._Toulon_Jr.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The List of Long Island law enforcement agencies provides an inclusive list of law enforcement agencies serving New York's Long Island. This includes those agencies serving the New York City boroughs …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_law_enforcement_agenci…

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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

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “An antibiotic course is usually prescribed for two to three weeks”

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.

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Claim 5: “Pneumonic tularemia, a serious form from breathing in the bacteria that causes pneumonia-like symptoms.”

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.

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Claim 6: “other signs can include pink eye, skin rash, sore throat, cough, diarrhea and confusion.”

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.

verified

Claim 7: “Other names include deer fly fever, wild hare disease and lawnmower tularemia.”

VERIFIED

A specific source confirms the alternative names: deer fly fever, wild hare disease, and lawnmower tularemia.

travel_explore

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

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The bacterium causes tularemia and is considered a potential bioterrorism agent because of its high infectivity. A 1972 photomicrograph shows Francisella tularensis, the bacterium that causes tularemi…
https://www.axios.com/2026/08/04/tularemia-rabbit-fever-new-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Other names include deer fly fever, wild hare disease and lawnmower tularemia.What are rabbit fever symptoms? Tularemia symptoms can vary based on where the infection occurs, such as the lymph nodes, …
https://nypost.com/health/what-is-rabbit-fever-tularemia/

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Claim 8: “the illness is more common during May through September.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the evidence provided discusses tularemia generally, none of the provided search results specifically mention the May through September timeframe for increased frequency.

travel_explore

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.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tularemia

travel_explore

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 — Apr 14, 2026 · 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 flu…
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17775-tularem…

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Claim 9: “four cases were reported in 2024, the highest number since before 2014”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources (AOL and Daily Mail Online) explicitly state that four cases were reported in 2024, which is the highest number since before 2014.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many Eas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Four (stylised as FOUR; formerly TV4) was the second New Zealand television channel owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand, broadcast via the state-owned Kordia transmission network. The channel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_(New_Zealand_TV_channel)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The four occupations (simplified Chinese: 士农工商; traditional Chinese: 士農工商; pinyin: Shì nóng gōng shāng), or "four categories of the people" (Chinese: 四民; pinyin: sì mín), was an occupation classificat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_occupations

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Most of the general symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, chills, headache, loss of appetite, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and vomiting.”

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.

help

Claim 11: “Ulceroglandular tularemia, the most common form, that develops from an infected tick or animal bite and affects the skin and lymph nodes.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results specifically discussing 'Ulceroglandular tularemia' or its status as the most common form.

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Claim 12: “The highly infectious bacterial disease tularemia is known to spread through tick and deerfly bites, as well as through infected rabbits, hares and rodents.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including the CDC and other medical information sites, confirm that tularemia is a bacterial disease spread via tick bites, deerfly bites, and contact with infected animals like rodents and rabbits.

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Claim 13: “tularemia can be treated with antibiotics, the infection can be life-threatening if left untreated.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple medical sources confirm that tularemia is treated with antibiotics and can be fatal (ranging from 10% to 50% in some sources) if left untreated.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Without treatment, tularemia may be fatal in 10% to 50% of cases.But it can have serious complications without treatment. Schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider. They can diagnose and trea…
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17775-tularem…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Can tularemia be fatal? Yes, but it’s rare to die from it. Prompt treatment can give you the best outcome. Less than 1% of cases of tularemia are fatal when people treat the infection quickly with ant…
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-tularemia

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How is tularemia treated? Antibiotics are used to kill the bacteria that causes tularemia. While recovery without antibiotics is possible, there’s a high possibility of severe complications without tr…
https://nypost.com/health/what-is-rabbit-fever-tularemia/

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Claim 14: “the CDC recommends using insect repellent, wearing gloves when handling sick or dead animals and wearing long pants, long sleeves and long socks outside.”

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.

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Claim 15: “Complications can also arise from a tularemia infection, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (a life-threatening lung injury) and inflammation of the brain, heart, bone or liver.”

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.

schedule

Claim 16: “Tularemia symptoms can vary based on where the infection occurs, such as the lymph nodes, skin, eyes, throat, intestines or lungs.”

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.

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Claim 17: “there were fewer than 200 cases in the US in 2023, 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.

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Claim 18: “Tularemia may be fatal in up to 50% of cases without treatment.”

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.

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Claim 19: “Oropharyngeal tularemia from ingesting contaminated food or water.”

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.

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Claim 20: “This disease commonly spreads from infected animals to people through insect bites (such as a tick or deerfly), skin contact with infected animals, contaminated food or water or breathing in bacteria from agricultural dust or exposed tissues”

CORROBORATED

Although the specific 'Evidence for claim 8' section was empty, the evidence provided for Claim 1 and Claim 7 explicitly describes these transmission routes (insect bites, animal tissues, contaminated food/water).

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.