************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: Tue 24 Mar 2009
Source: KTAR [edited]
Arizona sees surge in rabies outbreak
-------------------------------------
The state of Arizona is being hit with the biggest outbreak of rabies
that it has seen in a while, according to state veterinarian Elisabeth
Lawaczeck. So far this year [2009] there have been 62 animals
confirmed with rabies, according to Lawaczeck.
[A 21-year-old] Phoenix resident learned this the hard way when she
was bitten by a rabid bat at a family get-together in Northern Arizona
[last year? -- see below. - Mod.JW]."Something flew at me, I didn't
know what it was," [she] told KTAR. "I remember fumbling with it a
lot. It was really fury. It bit me and it flew away."
[The woman] was taken to the emergency room where she was treated for
rabies. She had to undergo a series of painful shots that lasted 6
months. "The needle was really long and it was really thick. I
remember the substance that they used was pink, and that was probably
the most painful thing that I've ever had to endure," she said. [But
see comment at end. - Mod.JW]
With the current outbreak of rabies, Lawaczeck says people should take
precautions when they go hiking or camping. "When you're camping you
want to make sure you are sleeping inside a tent and not just on the
ground or on a tarp. When you're hiking on the trails you should take
a hiking stick if you are in an area where there is reported rabies in
the past," Lawaczeck told KTAR [presumably for warding off attacking
animals. - Mod.JW].
Lawaczeck also said most rabies cases occur in skunks and foxes in
Southern Arizona but there have been recent outbreaks in the Flagstaff
area as well.
[Byline: Colton Shone]
Communicated by:
Healthmaps.org
[It would have been nice if the species of the 62 animals had been
listed; were they all skunks and foxes?
This is also a perfect time for the state veterinarian to pitch having
pets, including horses, vaccinated against the disease. Whether you
take your pet camping, or a rabid animal gets into your yard, you
should have your pet current on vaccines. If you don't know, or have
doubts, if your pet is protected, please see your veterinarian.
Rabies is usually a fatal disease. Unless your animal is vaccinated it
has no chance of living, because the authorities will eventually
euthanize the animal.
Arizona needs to update their rabies vaccine. The current CDC
recommendation for both HDCV and PCECV rabies vaccines is 1.0 mL intra
muscularly in the deltoid area, one each on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28
only, not 6 months -- see:
- Mod.TG/JW]
[The southwestern state of Arizona can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the USA at
No comments:
Post a Comment