Sweden reports significantly more tularemia in 2023, Cases decrease since beginning of the month

In a follow-up on the tularemia situation in Sweden in 2023, the Public Health Agency of Sweden, or Folkhalsomyndigheten reports 593 people from 16 regions have been reported infected with tularemia (harpest), which is significantly more compared to the average value for the period 2000-2022.

Most disease cases have been reported from Västerbotten (162 cases), Gävleborg (124 cases) and Dalarna (72 cases). Of the disease cases, 61% are men, the average age is 54 years and the age range is 2-91 years.

Harpest or tularemia is a bacteria-caused vector-borne zoonosis, that is, a disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans. It mainly affects different rodents, but the infection can be transmitted to man in several different ways.

Tularemia is caused by a bacterium, Francisella tularensis.

Human beings can be infected in several ways, for example by:

• bitten by an infected insect

• direct contact with an infected animal

• inhalation of dust, contaminated with sick animals’ urine or feces

• intake of contaminated water.

The bacterium can also cause laboratory infection, but the disease does not transmit from person to person.

Photo by Tolga Ahmetler on Unsplash