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A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
[1]
Date: 20 May 2009
Source: WBOC.com [edited]
The Worcester County Health Department is alerting residents that
since 1 May 2009, there have been 6 laboratory confirmed rabid
raccoons in Worcester County.
In the last week, 4 of the confirmed raccoons have been found in
highly populated areas, according to the department.
Those areas include north Ocean City, Ocean Pines, White Marlin Mall
in West Ocean City and South Point. The Health Department says that
although rabies is present to some degree in Worcester County at all
times, these latest cases illustrate that the disease is not only
associated with rural settings but can, in fact, be found in suburban
and town settings.
Raccoons are the most frequently identified carrier of rabies in
Maryland as well as in Worcester County, but the deadly viral disease
has also been found in foxes, cats, bats, skunks and groundhogs.
The Health Department recommends several things you can do to protect
your family and pets from exposure:
-Make sure your dogs and cats are currently vaccinated against rabies
and keep those vaccinations current.
-Do not let your pets roam free. They are more likely to have contact
with a rabid wild animal
-Avoid feeding your animals outside. This draws stray and wild
animals to your doorstep.
-Teach your children not to approach wild animals and animals they don't know.
-Avoid sick animals and those acting in an unusual manner. Report
this behavior to the local law enforcement.
-If your pet has contact with a wild animal, avoid touching your pet
with bare hands and do not touch the wild animal. Report the incident
to local law enforcement and to the Health Department. If you have
questions regarding rabies, you are asked to contact the Health
Department at (410) 641-9559 or consult with your veterinarian.
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[2]
Date: 21 May 2009
Source: Kentucky.com [edited]
Health officials say they've found a rabid bat in Lexington, making
it the 9th animal in the city to test positive for the disease this
year [2009].
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department announced the findings
Thursday [21 May 2009] and said it has posted signs in the
neighborhood reporting the incident and stressing the importance of
getting pets vaccinated.
Eight other animals in the city have tested positive for the viral
disease this year [2009], including 6 skunks, a fox and a horse.
The number of cases more than doubles the 4 confirmed cases of rabies
in Lexington in all of 2008.
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[3]
Date: 21 May 2009
Source: Pittsburg Live.com [edited]
The adult victim and her son fired several shots at a rabid fox and
finally knocked it unconscious with a mop handle after the animal
attacked the New Sewickley woman's 4-year-old grandson.
The adult victim got out of her truck Saturday [15 May 2009] and was
walking to her daughter's house to get her grandson, when she saw
something dart out from beneath her truck.
"I looked over, and the fox had my grandson pinned up against the
truck, attacking him," The adult victim said. "My grandson wasn't
making any sound. I think he was in shock. I grabbed the fox by the
jaw to make it release, and threw my grandson in the bed of the
truck. But the fox bit the inside of my right arm and then was right
back on my grandson. It wouldn't stop attacking him."
After the adult victim's son fired at the fox, they were able to stop
it with the mop handle, the adult victim said. A township police
officer shot the fox to death. Tests on Tuesday [19 May 2009]
confirmed the animal had rabies.
The adult victim and her grandson began a 28-day course of rabies
vaccination shots [post exposure prophylaxis, PEP] the day they were bitten.
Officials are monitoring the area, which is in Beaver County, for any
other human contact.
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system and
usually is transmitted through saliva from an infected animal,
according to the state Department of Health.
Since 2000, between 350 and 500 animals annually have tested positive
for rabies in Pennsylvania.
In 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available,
raccoons comprised 56 percent of cases, followed by skunks at 12
percent, cats at 11 percent, bats at 8 percent and foxes at 6
percent, according to the Health Department.
State health officials couldn't say how many people are infected with
rabies each year in Pennsylvania. [Couldn't say, or wouldn't say?
They should have records regarding each rabies case, as it is a
reportable disease. - Mod.TG]
The incubation period for rabies typically runs 3 to 8 weeks but can
be as short as one week or as long as 9 years. Symptoms are
irritability, fatigue, headache, fever and pain or itching at the
exposure site.
Untreated, rabies can result in paralysis, spasms of the throat
muscles, seizures, delirium and death.
People who are bitten by an animal they suspect to be rabid should
wash the wound with soap and warm water immediately and get to a
hospital, Health Department officials said.
Treatment involves a series of shots given in the arm, or thigh for
small children.
Health officials caution that people should call an animal control
officer to capture the animal, and it should be observed for 10 days.
Humane officials might euthanize the animal and test the remains at a
laboratory.
[Byline: Jill King Greenwood]
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[In any of these cases, having your pet vaccinated against this
disease is an increased measure of protection for yourself and your family.
It is always wise to not pick up bats and to avoid animals that are
acting strangely, such as the fox. However, in the case reported
above, contact with the fox may have been unavoidable. - Mod.TG]
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