Ridge man diagnosed with rare tick-borne illness 'Rabbit Fever'
A Ridge man says a tick bite at his home led to a rare diagnosis of tularemia, or "Rabbit Fever."
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A Long Island man says a tick bite left him battling a rare illness.
Dean Grunhert, of Ridge, says he's been dealing with symptoms since May after he believes he was bitten by a tick at his home.
"It's been pretty awful," Grunhert said. "I've been having bad migraines, shortness of breath, and I haven't been able to sleep that much."
Following blood tests, Grunhert says an infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Medicine diagnosed him with tularemia, a rare bacterial infection also known as "Rabbit Fever."
"I was pretty shocked," he said. "It surprised me that I had it because I was hoping it was going to be negative. But they found it, and now I'm on treatment."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 200 cases of tularemia are reported in the United States each year.
News 12 reached out to Grunhert's doctor and Stony Brook Medicine for comment but was referred to New York state health officials, who in turn directed inquiries to local health departments.
As of now, both the Nassau County and Suffolk County health departments say they have not confirmed any cases of tularemia on Long Island.
