Two Muskrat Trappers Infected With Rare Disease

Monday, May 14, 2007 at 15:35

 

 

The chief medical health officer for the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region is warning trappers to wash their hands when handling pelts.

 

Dr. Leo Lanoie says two trappers who were recently hospitalized from tularemia likely contracted the disease after handling the skins of dead muskrats.

 

Lanoie can’t say who the two men are or which area of the province they came from, due to privacy concerns.

 

But he does point out tularemia occurs in many different wild animals, and it isn’t just muskrat harvesters that need to take care.

 

Tularemia is similar to tuberculosis, but can also cause ulcers in the mouth, swollen lymph nodes under the arms and high fevers.

 

Lanoie advises anyone with these symptoms to get themselves checked out by a doctor.