Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis. The etiological agent is transmitted to man by direct contact with infected animals, air, water or contaminated food, or through hematophagous vectors. In Portugal, in 1998, after an outbreak in Spain, the Direcção Geral de Saúde issued a warning, alerting the clinicians to the possibility of the disease spreading throughout the national territory. In this work, an epidemiological review of tularemia is made in order to contribute to the better knowledge of this disease.