Hello Mark, I want to ask if you are familiar with what is believed to be an outbreak of tularemia in the Cape Cod, Massachusetts area? From the little I've read some 15 people have come down with something believed to be tularemia, though no one has yet died from it. The CDC has not been able to figure out how it is being transmitted, though anyone working outside in fields or woods is warned to wear a mask to filter out airborne particles. As a kid I was always told not to touch a dead rabbit as it might carry the disease. However in the Cape Cod cases rabbits do not appear to be the carrier that directly infects humans.
It is interesting to note that the nearby island of Martha's Vineyard was the first place in the eastern US to become heavily populated by Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a tick borne disease. Now the entire area, including Cape Cod and much of the coast north and south, is home to Lyme ticks. The coastal marsh grasses make excellent habitat for them. What I wonder is, is this an example of an area that has been heavily degraded by, say insecticide application? An example of other environmental contaminants in the area is the leaching of aviation fuel into the water table from an abandoned air force base. Perhaps this is a subject too far removed from Mad Cow Disease, but it seems it is a symptom of the same large-scale application of toxic agents to our environment, or perhaps the removal of species and habitats that once could have neutralized these diseases. Thank you for your courage, commitment and willingness to engage in dialogue with us, -Tom
