NEW-DISCOVERED DISEASE

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12024, 30 December 1924, Page 6

NEW-DISCOVERED DISEASE

OFTEN DIAGNOSED WRONGLY, AS ! TYPHOID OR ANTHRAX. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received December 29, 9.10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, December 28, ' Dr. Edward Francis, of the United States Public Health Service, announces that the American Association for the Advancement of Science, meeting here shortly, will discuss the newlydetermined disease of tularaemia,,, or rabbit fever, which is the last of the known diseases attacking mankind which have been discovered within the past 15 years. , ■ ; . The . lqaiady is essentially—a rabbit affliction, hut it also attacks, sometimes with fatal results, human beings. A' fly, or tick, which sucks the Mood from the infected animal,- may carry the fever to man, who may also contract it by cleaning game. Tularaemia is already active in 12 Western, mid-Western, and Southern States, and has been introduced into several Eastern States in the past few months. - PHYSICIANS INFECTED. American who attemptedto study the disease have been stricken j with fever, although no cases ha.vei been fatal. i Dr. Francis says British physician*; have given up experiments with the new ailment, on the grounds of discretion, after the entire personnel of one London laboratory became ill from dealing with infected rabbits sent from roiith America. Dr. Francis points p that the general prevalence of • :mi» is not known, owing to its ■■‘t diagnosis as septic infection, i.l fever, or anthrax. He indi- . chat the disease cannot be contra 'ted through eating cooked rabbit, although freshly infected meat, while being prepared for culinary purposes, con transmit the virus.