Warning of Hasenpest: How to protect yourself and your animals!

Warning of Hasenpest: How to protect yourself and your animals!

The rabbit plague, also known as Tularemia, could be concerned about the upcoming Easter days. No cases are currently known in Waldhessen, but diseases have already been determined in several German federal states. According to information from HNA are affected regions of Rhineland-Palatinate Baden-Württemberg, Saarland, Lower Saxony and recently the district of Gießen.

dr. Thomas Berge, the head of the district veterinary office, emphasizes that the pathogen, the bacterium Francisella Tularensis, could also be present in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg region and, above all, threatens brown hare and wild rodents. However, there is no significant danger to the rabbit population in the district, since the disease can be fatal to individual animals, but not endangered the total stock.

transmission paths and symptoms

The rabbit plague is mainly transmitted by blood -sucking insects, direct contact with infected animals or through contaminated water. People can develop flu -like symptoms such as fever, chills and extreme fatigue. Dr. Mountains warn that sick wild animals should not be touched and recommends that rabbits only be disassembled with gloves and a mouth-nose mask.

risk factors and prevention measures

Important risk factors for infection include contact with wildlife, insect bites and certain professional groups, such as hunters or farmers who often come into contact with infected animals. In order to avoid infection, it is recommended to adhere to good hygiene practices in dealing with wild meat, such as cooking through meat and boiling water in risk areas.

Tularemia can be transmitted through various transmission paths such as skin contact, inhalation of contaminated dust or the consumption of insufficiently heated meat. Further information on the illness and its management, the rki-ratgeber , which is published on behalf of the Robert Koch-Institut.