NSW Health has urged people not to touch possums following the first ever probable case of a rare disease in a NSW resident, the first reported in Australia since 2011.
Acting Director of Communicable Diseases at NSW Health, Keira Glasgow said the resident was bitten and scratched by a ringtail possum in a Northern Sydney suburb in early March and had since developed symptoms of tularaemia.
“Tularaemia is an extremely rare bacterial disease which can be transmitted to humans from infected animals but not from human-to-human,” Ms Glasgow said.
“While the disease is highly contagious, most people fully recover with appropriate antibiotics,” she said.
“The best way to prevent tularaemia is to avoid touching or handling any wildlife.”
Ms Glasgow said the resident was undergoing further testing to confirm the diagnosis.
“Only two cases of tularaemia have been reported in people in Australia previously, both of whom had been bitten or scratched by possums in Tasmania in 2011,” she said.
“The type of bacteria present in Australia is less virulent than the type seen in North America, and there have been no deaths associated with the disease in Australia.”
She said people who found sick or injured wildlife should avoid touching the animal and instead contact their local licensed wildlife care group or local veterinarian.
“Symptoms of tularaemia include fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache and nausea, which appear within two weeks of exposure to the bacteria.”
Ms Glasgow said anyone who developed symptoms after recently touching a possum should seek medical treatment early.
