Tularemia is an acute, zoonotic (naturally occurring) infectious disease caused by the bacterium *Francisella tularensis*. The mode of infection depends on how the pathogen enters the body. It is important to note that tularemia is not transmitted from person to person.
In the wild, the primary carriers of the infection are rodents—such as mice, water rats, muskrats, beavers, and hamsters. A key characteristic of tularemia is the variety of ways in which it can be transmitted, combined with the fact that humans are almost 100% susceptible to the infection.
Routes of transmission include insect bites (mosquitoes, ticks, horseflies), contact with infected animals, and the consumption of contaminated water or food.
Symptoms include high fever, inflammation of the lymph nodes, skin ulcers, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal disturbances. Seek medical attention at the first sign of illness.
Preventive measures are categorized into specific and non-specific:
Specific prevention involves vaccination (recommended for residents of endemic areas, hunters, forestry workers, etc.).
Non-specific measures include protection against bites, maintaining hygiene, heat-treating meat, and avoiding contact with wild animals.
The epidemiological situation regarding tularemia in the Karabalyk District remains stable. Nevertheless, preventive measures are carried out annually during the spring and summer. Specialists from the sanitary-epidemiological control service, in collaboration with laboratory technicians from the district branch of the National Center of Expertise, collect water samples from open bodies of water, trap rodents, and gather animal pellets and ticks for laboratory testing to detect the presence of the tularemia pathogen.
Laboratory analyses conducted over the past few years have yielded no positive findings.
