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A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: Sun 28 Jun 2009
Source: InjuryBoard.com, North-east Carolina [edited]
Rabid animal attacks have been reported recently in Durham and Orange
counties, which underlines the fact that rabies also exists in north
eastern North Carolina's wild animal population. Recently, a 4 year old
Durham girl was bitten by a fox that climbed a fenced-in yard at a day care
center, according to a report by the News and Observer in Raleigh. Another
fox attacked 2 women in Chapel Hill hours later, the paper reported.
Rabies can become a public health issue when a person is bitten or a pet is
attacked by a wild animal. Rabies is very dangerous; left untreated, it is
deadly. Despite its danger, rabies exposure in pets and humans is a
relatively rare occurrence in northeastern North Carolina. Cats are the
most commonly affected domestic animals, according to North Carolina
Department of Health and Human Services. The largest majority of reported
rabies cases each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats
and foxes.
It is imperative to make sure your pets have updated rabies shots.
Potentially exposed pets that have not had a rabies vaccination or a
booster shot within 3 years will be quarantined for 10 days to see if
rabies is present in the animal. Pets thought to be infected must be
quarantined for 6 months. However, most families are unable to afford the
cost of quarantining pets and are forced to have the animal put to sleep.
Rabies is most often transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal, according
to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control at the US Department of
Health and Human Services website. When a human is exposed to rabies, an
effective method to decrease the chance of infection is to thoroughly wash
the wound with soap and water according to CDC. People exposed to the
disease also may need to have a series of 6 shots over a 28-day period [now
reduced to 4, see: Rabies, human - USA: vaccination protocol change:
20090625.2312. - Mod.CP]
[byline: Randy Appleton]
communicated by:
ProMED-mail rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[The date of these attacks is not given, but they do not appear to have
been recorded previously in ProMED-mail. The fate of the rabid animals and
the treatment of their victims are not revealed.
The adjacent counties of Durham and Orange lie in the north of the state
and can be located using the map of the counties of North Carolina at:
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