On Monday, the New Mexico Department of Health issued an advisory warning residents about the risk of contracting tularemia. The warning came after a 51-year-old Los Alamos County resident has been tested and confirmed with tularemia.

Throughout the state, health professionals have reported 33 tularemia cases in pet cats and dogs this year, particularly in Santa Fe, Torrance, Taos, Los Alamos and Bernalillo counties, Santa Fe New Mexican Briefs reported.

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Health officials also warned that tularemia can cause serious illness in both people and pets. It is caused by a bacteria found in animals including rodents and rabbits. According to Vaccine News Daily, humans can acquire the disease if they are exposed to infected animals or if they are bitten by infected ticks or deer flies.

Even though an outbreak could be rare, here are 5 things to know about tularemia.

1. Tularemia is a rare infectious disease that typically attacks the skin, eyes, lymph nodes and lungs. As per Mayo Clinic, tularemia is also known as rabbit fever or deer fly fever and is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.

2. Tularemia is a bacterial disease spread by direct contact with infected animals, inhaling the bacteria in contaminated environments (aerosol), ingestion of contaminated food and water, bite from ticks and deer flies (vector). Based on the fact sheet released by Iowa State University's Center for Food Security and Public Health, disease varies depending on the route of exposure to the bacteria.

3. Tularemia can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, headache and joint pain. Gland or lymph nodes may become swollen and painful and may break open and drain pus. Other signs stated in Medline Plus include skin rash, sore throat or swelling of the eyes. If lungs become infected, symptoms like coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath and severe pneumonia can occur.

4. Symptoms usually appear 3 to 5 days after exposure to the bacteria, but can take as long as 14 days, Albuquerque Journal noted. Meanwhile, a vaccine for tularemia is under review by the Food and Drug Administration. However, it is not currently available in the United States.

5. Tularemia has a potential to be used as a bioterrorism weapon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. F. tularensis is very infectious and if it will be used as a weapon, the bacteria will be made airborne for exposure by inhalation. But in order to manufacture an effective aerosol weapon, considerable sophistication is required.

TagsTularemia, Tularemia Facts, Tularemia Outbreak, Tularemia infection