close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you work in a high-risk occupation or live in an area where tularemia is present, these measures may help reduce your chance of infection:
- Protect yourself from insects. Most people get tularemia though tick bites. If you spend time in tick-infested areas, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, tuck your pants into your socks, and use a broad-brimmed hat to help protect your face and neck. Even bundled up, you'll need to check your skin and clothing often for ticks. Use an insect repellent, but follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. Products containing DEET are still considered the most effective against ticks, although oil of lemon eucalyptus or natural insecticides may offer some protection. Use the lowest concentration of repellent for the circumstances, apply it in moderation, and wash it off at the end of the day. Don't use repellents containing DEET on infants younger than 2 months. Check yourself for ticks often and remove them immediately if you find any.
- Take care when gardening. Home gardeners and professional landscapers should consider wearing a face mask when excavating the soil, clearing weeds or brush, or mowing lawns.
- Handle animals carefully. If you hunt or handle wild rabbits or hares, wear gloves and protective goggles, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after touching the animal. Cook all wild meat thoroughly, and avoid skinning or dressing any animal that appeared ill.
- Protect your pets. Livestock and pets can contract tularemia if they eat part of a diseased rabbit or are bitten by an infected tick. To help keep your pets safe, avoid letting them outside unsupervised, provide them with flea and tick protection, and don't let them come in close contact with wild or dead animals.
References
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about tularemia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/tularemia/faq.asp. Accessed Feb. 15, 2010.
- Nigrovic LE, et al. Tularemia. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 2008;22:489.
- Everett. ED. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of tularemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 15, 2010.
- Everett ED. Microbiology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology of tularemia, http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 15, 2010.
- Eisen RJ, et al. Ecoepidemiology of tularemia in the Southcentral United States. American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. 2008;78:586.
- Tularemia: Surveillance reported cases by state. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/Surveillance/Tul_CasesbyState.html. Accessed March 2, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on