Don’t touch animals – highly contagious: “rabbit plague” discovered on farm

“Animals that are found dead or appear sick should not be touched, or should only be touched with gloves and a breathing mask,” the state of Carinthia warns. A dead brown hare has been found on a farm in the city of Klagenfurt. The Institute for Food Safety, Veterinary Medicine and the Environment of the State of Carinthia (ILV) determined that the dead animal had tularemia, better known as ‘rabbit plague’.

Be careful with friendly animals
Tularemia mainly occurs in wild hares, rabbits and rodents such as mice, rats and squirrels. Sick animals usually lack their natural escape behavior and their movements are often uncoordinated. The “rabbit plague” is often fatal in animals.

Be careful!
Infected animals can also transmit the disease to humans. The disease can be transmitted to humans through smears (fur, blood or feces), but also through inhaling dust containing pathogens. The incubation period can last up to 14 days before symptoms appear, although the disease can develop in very different ways: swelling of the lymph nodes, fever, headache and body aches, but also vomiting, abdominal pain or severe pneumonia are the consequences.

Report to the district administration
The state of Carinthia therefore calls on the Carinthian population not to touch animals. Dog owners are also asked to keep their four-legged friends on a leash when walking. If a dead rabbit is found, the district administration or magistrate must be informed immediately.

Last year, 24 cases of human illness were reported in Austria. In November 2023, tularemia was diagnosed for the first time in a brown hare in Carinthia.