Rabies, Skunks - USA : (Texas)

RABIES, SKUNKS - USA: (TEXAS)
*****************************
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http://www.isid.org

Date: 10 Jun 2009
Source: Fort Bend Now [edited]



Rabid Skunks Near Needville And Beasley
---------------------------------------
The discovery of rabid skunks near Needville and Beasley has prompted
Fort Bend County Animal Control officials to urge that owners make
sure their pets' rabies vaccinations are up to date. Animal control
officers found one skunk that tested positive for rabies in an
unincorporated area near Beasley, and the other inside Needville city
limits, according to a statement issued Wednesday [10 June 2009] by
the Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. No other details
about the discoveries was immediately available.

"Although the incidence of rabies is low among domestic animals in
the United States, with the occurrence of wildlife rabies comes the
increased risk for infection of humans," said County Animal Control
Director Vernon Abschneider.

Abschneider's department is urging pet owners to keep their animals'
rabies vaccinations current.

"It is also important to keep your animals restrained and not allow
them to roam freely, as this will further protect them from
confrontation with wildlife," Abschneider said.

He added that skunks are nocturnal, and if they're active in the
daytime, it's an indication they're rabid. Therefore, any daytime
sightings of skunks should be reported to local animal control officers.

Rabies is a viral disease affecting the central nervous system and
transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. It is almost always
fatal once symptoms in humans or signs in animals appear. Humans and
animals can be exposed to rabies from the saliva or brain and spinal
cord tissue of a rabid animal that bites or scratches them. Wild
animals, such as raccoons, bats, skunks, foxes and coyotes are more
likely to carry rabies. Exposure can also occur if infected saliva or
tissue gets into a fresh wound (one that has bled within 24 hours) or
the eyes, nose or mouth.

Several things can be done if one is exposed to rabies. After being
bitten, it is important to quickly wash the animal bite or scratch
with a lot of soap and water. Then, contact your doctor immediately
to receive rabies immune globulin and a series rabies vaccine to
prevent infection. The rabies immune globulin and the 1st vaccine
should be given as soon as possible after exposure. However, if the
animal can be caught and observed or tested for rabies, it is safe to
wait up to 10 days before starting the series.

The early symptoms of rabies include irritability, headache, fever,
itching or pain at the site of exposure.

Communicated by:
ProMED-Mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland

[To test for rabies in an animal, the suspect animal must be dead.
Therefore it is advisable for pet owners to protect their pets,
including horses and cattle with rabies vaccination. - Mod.TG

A map of Texas is available at:

- CopyEd.EJP]

Rabies - China (03) : (Shaanxi)

RABIES - CHINA (03): (SHAANXI)
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Date: Tue 9 Jun 2009
Source: Xinhua News Agency [edited]



In Hanzhong city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, 2 more people
have died of rabies bringing the rabies death toll in the city since
March [2009] to 11. The 2 fatalities were both women, one aged 58 and
the other 56, said a local government official.

The 1st death was reported on 21 Mar [2009], and number of people
injured by dog bites in the city has since reached 6256. So far,
approximately 335 900 pet dogs have been vaccinated in the city, said
the local government official. The city, with more than 370 000
registered dogs, reported 35 deaths of rabies from 1985 to 1992.

Human deaths indicated the rabies virus was very active, posing a
great public health threat, Shi Ruihua, local agricultural bureau
chief, said earlier this month [June 2009]. The city carried out a
rabies prevention campaign from 23 May-1 Jun [2009], implementing
door-to-door compulsory vaccinations of dogs and urging dog owners to
put their pets on a leash or keep them off the streets.

Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail


[These 2 deaths apparently are the 2 individuals hospitalized and
under treatment in the previous rabies report from Shaanxi Province
(see ProMED-mail archive no. 20090607.2105).

Hanzhong is located in the southwest of Shaanxi Province. An
interactive map showing the location of Shaanxi province in
east-central China can be accessed at
.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of China is available at
. - Mod.TY]

Rabies, Wildlife, Equine, Human Exposure - USA : (North Carolinga, Georgia)

RABIES, WILDLIFE, EQUINE, HUMAN EXPOSURE - USA: (NORTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA)
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[1] North Carolina: wildlife
[2] Georgia: equine

******
[1] North Carolina: wildlife
Date: Tue 7 Apr 2009
Source: The Cherokee Scout [edited]


A rabid fox ran inside a house and bit a man at least twice on 30 Mar
2009. The victim, who lives near Fields of the Wood, was asleep about
7:15 a.m. when he heard scratching at his front door. Thinking it was
his cat, he opened the door. A fox immediately ran in and bit his big
toe. "It was a big fox and madder than hell," the victim said on 1
Apr 2009. "I thought it was my cat. I opened the door, and it
attacked me." He kicked the fox across the room and it went on a
rampage, running all over the house before it came back and grabbed
his other foot. He then kicked the fox again, then grabbed a mop
handle and killed the fox. "It was running wide open," he said. "I
kicked it and it never slowed down. It bit plumb through my big toe."

The victim called [neighbor] Michael Stiles, who looked at his foot
and told him to get to the emergency room. Stiles cut the fox's head
off and made sure it was sent off for testing. The next night, 31 Mar
2009, the victim received news that the fox was rabid. He received 5
[vaccine] shots for rabies and said he must have 5 more [This must be
a mistake; only 5 shots are needed, spread over 28 days, not just a
week -- see below - Mod.CP/JW].

The fox was the 6th confirmed case of rabies in Cherokee County this
year [2009], all occurring since 16 Mar 2008, when a large dog fought
and killed a raccoon in Peachtree. This was the 1st confirmed rabid
fox this year. The others have been raccoons, said Philip Anderson,
who is in charge of the Cherokee County Health Department's rabies
prevention program. There were 20 confirmed cases in the county in
2008. This was the 2nd confirmed case in Hiwassee Dam, the 1st being
a raccoon south of Hiwassee Dam School.

Jim Weller, who lives on Shoal Creek Road, said a fox was sitting at
the end of his driveway during the day. The fox tried to get up but
couldn't. "I could tell it was sick, so I shot it," Weller said. He
called the health department, but since they couldn't send anyone
immediately, he buried the fox. The next day, health department
personnel came and dug the fox up, Weller said.

Rabies cases have been spread all over the county with the exception
of the Andrews and Marble areas, Anderson said. He has collected 36
animals for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a rabies
surveillance program in an attempt to convince the USDA that an oral
rabies vaccine drop [to immunize wildlife] is needed. Anderson said
USDA has collected 30 of the animals, which are animals that haven't
been proven to have bitten other animals or people and include animals
found dead on the roads. "We haven't heard back from [USDA] on any of
the animals," Anderson said. "We have been doing this [since August
2008]. I didn't expect this [long of a] delay."

The oral vaccination drop consists of plastic packets containing the
Raboral V-RG rabies vaccine which are dropped into selected areas by
airplane. The packets are sprinkled with fishmeal coating or encased
in fishmeal so they are eaten by wildlife. Animals that swallow an
adequate dose of the vaccine develop immunity to rabies. As the
proportion of vaccinated animals in the population increases, they
act as a buffer to stop spread of the disease to other wildlife,
domestic animals and people.

Anderson said rabies cases in Cherokee County seem to be escalating.
At this time last year [2008], there were only 2 confirmed cases of
[wildlife] rabies in the county. He got an e-mail from an USDA
representative who said the incidence of rabies in Polk and Monroe
counties in Tennessee have decreased. A bait drop was done in those
counties in September or October 2008.

Anderson asked people to be careful around strange-acting animals,
especially raccoons and foxes, which are not normally seen during the
day. Anderson said he has received calls from people long after they
killed a strange-acting animal and disposed of it. Anderson urged
people to call the health department in such cases. It will cost them
nothing. There will be a rabies clinic on Sat 16 May 2009 at various
locations across the county. A pet who hasn't been vaccinated for
rabies must be quarantined for 6 months before it is freed. Three
different families in Cherokee County have German shepherd dogs
quarantined because they came in contact with rabid animals. All 3
seem to be doing OK, and one is almost ready to come off quarantine,
Anderson said.

[Byline: Dwight Otwill]

Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via
ProMED-mail

[This report reveals a certain lack of urgency on the part of the
responsible authorities to respond to an increased risk of
transmission of rabies virus from wildlife to the human population.
The Raboral V-RG oral vaccine, which is a derivative of the
Copenhagen strain of vaccinia virus engineered to express the
immunogenic G protein of rabies virus, has been used successfully to
control wildlife rabies by air-dropped bait elsewhere in the United
States and to eradicate rabies entirely from much of Western Europe
by targeted habitat seeding.

Contrary to the statement in the preceding text, according to the CDC
website, post-exposure vaccination consists of a regimen of 5 1-mL
doses of HDCV or PCEC vaccines administered intramuscularly to
previously unvaccinated persons. The 1st dose of the 5-dose course
should be administered as soon as possible after exposure. Additional
doses should be administered on days 3, 7, 14, and 28 after the 1st
vaccination. For adults, the vaccination should always be
administered intramuscularly in the deltoid area (arm). For children,
the anterolateral aspect of the thigh is also acceptable. The gluteal
area should never be used for rabies vaccine injections, because
observations suggest administration in this area results in lower
neutralizing antibody titers.

Hiwassee Dam, North Carolina can be located in the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the United States at:
.
- Mod.CP]

******
[2] Georgia: equine
Date: 7 Apr 2009
Source: Independent mail.com [edited]


3 members of a Franklin County family are undergoing treatment
for rabies prevention after it was discovered their horse had the
disease.

The family owns a farm on [route] SR 327 in Franklin Springs and
involves 2 adults and a 7-year-old child.

The news of the county's 1st horse rabies case came Friday [3 Apr
2009] afternoon to the Franklin County Health Department.

"Late Friday [3 Apr 2009], I got a call from the University of
Georgia letting me know they had a horse that had been sent down
there that had tested positive for rabies," said Louis Korff,
Environmental Health manager for the Franklin County Health
Department. "This horse had lived over in the Victoria Bryant Park
area and had never been vaccinated. When I asked the family if the
horse had been vaccinated for rabies, they were surprised you could
vaccinate a horse."

While rabies is relatively rare in horses, Korff said horses as well
as dogs, cats, and other warm-blooded mammals are at risk for rabies
if not vaccinated.

"All horse owners should have their animals vaccinated against rabies
and keep them up because here's a classic example. Some skunk or
raccoon went out there and bit that horse and gave it rabies," he
said. "The horse got sick, and the humans tending to the horse got
themselves exposed. Now I have 2 adults and a 7-year-old child
getting post-exposure shots and going through a lot of emotional
trauma, which could have been avoided by a [horse] vaccination."

The family told Korff the elderly horse was a beloved family pet and
had recently stopped eating and drinking water.

According to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's
Cooperative Extension Service, signs of rabies in horses can be hard
to diagnose. The main sign to watch for is any behavioral change in
the horse.

Historically, initial signs have been categorized as "furious" and
"paralytic" or "dumb."

"Horses are more likely to get the "dumb" version of it. This horse
stopped eating and stopped drinking water. That's what led to the
people trying to help the horse. They were feeding it and trying to
get it to drink water and were exposed to the disease while the horse
was shedding the virus," Korff said.

The family is now undergoing a series of 5 expensive injections to
prevent them from contracting rabies, which is always fatal in humans.
"You 1st get a human immuno-globulin shot then a series of 4 [actually
5] post-exposure shots," Korff said. Those shots for humans run about
USD 1500 for the series for each
person, according to Korff.

[Byline: MJ Kneiser]

Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland

[Rabies is more common in horses than the writer of the article realizes.

It is important to understand rabies has different forms, as
mentioned in the article, but the name of the form is not nearly as
important as recognizing a change in your animal's behavior, posture,
and attitude. A normally quiet animal that is suddenly aggressive or
an aggressive animal that is quiet and withdrawn are both major
changes to be noted and respected as possible rabies.

I have always advocated vaccinating horses and even cattle,
especially if they are pets or show animals, because we are around
them so much. A rabies preventative is the cheapest insurance for the
family. It would have prevented the post-exposure shots they are now
taking and would have prevented the loss of the horse. - Mod.TG]

[All suspected rabid animals have to be killed and their brains sent
to a rabies lab for confirmation. - Mod.JW]

Rabies, via dog/cat butchering - Nigeria

RABIES, VIA DOG/CAT BUTCHERING - NIGERIA
****************************************
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
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Date: 29 Mar 2009
Source: Personal communication from the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture and Water Resources Department of Livestock, Kaduna
Nigeria [edited]

Human butchering and consumption of animals potentially infected with
rabies and other zoonotic viruses is not limited to Asia. In Nigeria,
dog eating is very common in states such as Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Cross
River, Kaduna, Kebbi and Ondo. In fact, dog suya (barbequed dog meat)
is sold publicly in the dog eating areas. In some areas such as Jos,
only local and seasoned connoisseurs may easily distinguish
restaurants where dog and other conventional meats are sold. Cat
eating, though not as common as dog eating, can also be encountered,
even in cosmopolitan places such as Lagos. While human consumption of
bats is also common, there seems to have been little or no local
effort (as per the limited information available) to evaluate the
risk of rabies transmission.

Rabies is no doubt underreported and probably misdiagnosed in Nigeria
and elsewhere in Africa (Asselbergs 2007 and the references therein).
Cultural and religious beliefs will also contribute to the
underreporting of human rabies that may arise from the consumption of
infected apparently healthy dogs and cats. The [rabies-related
lyssaviruses] Lagos bat and Mokola viruses still remain
under-diagnosed in the human populace.

The paper by Ajayi, Rabo and Baba (2006) also indicates a disturbing
possibility of transmission of rabies by apparently healthy (free of
overt rabies signs) stray dogs. If their observations are confirmed,
this, in their words, "signifies a new dimension in the epidemiology
of the disease in this environment where the high-risk practices are
prevalent." What's more intriguing epidemiologically and culturally
is that their research was carried out in Maiduguri; the overwhelming
Muslim population in the city provide zero economic incentives for
dog meat restaurants. However, the dogs were slaughtered in
restaurants associated with 2 military barracks in the city.

In summary, the situation reported in Viet Nam, Nigeria, etc. only
reaffirms that rabies is more of a neglected tropical disease than
thought and which deserves attention.

References:
Ajayi BB, Rabo JS, Baba SS. Rabies in apparently healthy dogs:
histological and immunohistochemical studies. The Nigerian
Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2006 Jun;13(2):128-34.

Asselbergs M. Rabies awareness. The Veterinary Record 2007 Sep
22;161(12):4322.

[AbdulKareem Durosinloun; Federal ministry of Agriculture and Water
Resources Department of Livestock; Kaduna Nigeria]

Communicated by:
Shamsudeen Fagbo
Dept. of Tropical Veterinary Diseases
University of Pretoria South Africa

[We appreciate Dr. Fagbo updating us on this situation in countries
other than Asia. Sadly, the underreporting of rabies in animals and
people is a trend not likely to disappear any time soon. - Mod.TG]

Rabbies, via dog/cat butchering - Viet Nam : Probable

RABIES, VIA DOG/CAT BUTCHERING - VIET NAM: PROBABLE
***************************************************
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


[1]
Date: Tue 17 Mar 2009
Source: inthenews.co.uk [edited]


Eating dog or cat linked to rabies
----------------------------------
A new study has detailed how 2 people in Asia contracted rabies after
eating dog or cat meat.

A report published in the journal PLoS Medicine [see part (2) below]
describes how the 2 patients in Hanoi, Viet Nam, died from
laboratory-confirmed rabies. Health experts claim their symptoms
developed after butchering, preparing, and consuming either a dog or a cat.

The researchers were unable to test the butchered animals for rabies,
so could not be entirely certain the animals were the source of the rabies.

However, they caution that butchering of unvaccinated dogs and cats
in rabies-endemic countries should be considered a risk factor for
rabies transmission.

Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


******
[2]
Date: Wed 18 Mar 2009
From: Heiman Wertheim

Rabies infections highlight dangers of processing dog meat
----------------------------------------------------------
Eating dog meat is common in many Asian countries, but research
conducted as part of the South East Asia Infectious Diseases Clinical
Research Network has discovered a potentially lethal risk associated
with preparing dog meat: rabies. In research published today [18 Mar
2009] in the open access journal PLoS Medicine, Dr Heiman Wertheim
and colleagues from the National Institute of Infectious and Tropical
Diseases and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in
Hanoi, Viet Nam, report on 2 patients admitted to hospital showing
signs of rabies infection. Neither patient was thought to have been
bitten by a rabid animal in the preceding months.

Rabies is a very serious -- and in nearly all cases fatal -- disease.
It is estimated to kill more than 30 000 people each year in Asia,
and the number of cases in China and Viet Nam is increasing. Symptoms
include agitation, severe spasms, fever, fear of water and inability
to drink liquids, and eventually death. Humans are usually infected
after being bitten by an infected animal such as a dog or bat.

When the researchers investigated whether the patients had come into
contact with infected animals in the preceding months, they found
that both had been involved in preparing and eating animals that may
have been infected. In the 1st patient's case, he had prepared and
eaten a dog that had been killed in a road traffic accident; rabid
dogs were known to inhabit the neighbourhood. The 2nd patient had
butchered and eaten a cat that had been sick for a number of days.

In both cases seen by Dr Wertheim and colleagues, it is thought that
infection occurred during the slaughtering, and not by eating the
meat, as the meal was shared by others who did not become infected.
In Asia, it is believed that eating dog meat enhances health and
longevity. It is eaten throughout the year in the 2nd half of the
lunar month, particularly in the winter months, when it is believed
to increase body heat.

In Viet Nam, dogs with rabies have been detected in dog
slaughterhouses and workers at dog slaughterhouses are vaccinated
against rabies as part of the national programme for rabies control
and prevention. However, the private slaughter of dogs is relatively
common in the country.

"We need to alert both the general public and clinicians about the
risks around butchering and handling meat," says Dr Wertheim. "People
should not handle animals that may be infected with rabies. Rabies
can be prevented with a vaccine and people exposed to rabies can be
helped with post-exposure prophylaxis, but this needs to be
administered as quickly as possible following the exposure. Once a
person shows symptoms, the disease is almost invariably fatal.

"Vietnamese doctors already consider dog slaughtering a risk factor
for rabies transmission, but it is important that other health care
workers and policy makers, both inside and outside Vie Nam, are aware
of this risk factor."

The South East Asia Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Network is
funded by the Wellcome Trust and the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health USA.

References
----------
1. Wertheim, H et al: Furious Rabies after an Atypical Exposure. PLoS
Medicine. 17 March 2009 [available at
].
2. The South East Asia Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Network
[SEAICRN; ] is a multinational
clinical research network that strives to advance the scientific
knowledge and clinical management of infectious disease through
integrated, collaborative clinical research in Indonesia, Thailand
and Viet Nam. The principal sources of funding for the Network are
the US National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, USA and the Wellcome Trust, UK.
3. The Wellcome Trust [] is the largest
charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK
and internationally, spending over GBP 600 million [approx. USD 840
million] each year to support the brightest scientists with the best
ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical
research and its impact on health and wellbeing.

Heiman Wertheim

Rabies, Canine, Human - Angola (02) : (Huambo)

RABIES, CANINE, HUMAN - ANGOLA (02): (HUAMBO)
***********************************************
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Date: Tue 3 Feb 2009
Source: Agencia AngolaPress [Portugese, trans. Mod.MPP, edited]


The Health Department of the Caala municipality, which is located 23
km from the provincial capital, reported 5 cases of people being
bitten by rabid dogs that were roaming in the main streets of the
city during the month of January [2009].

This fact was given to the Angop [Angola Press] today [3 Feb 2009] by
the head of the Health Division in the municipality of Caala, Ernesto
Albino Ndumbo, and thanks to prompt intervention of hospital
services, they [the people bitten by the rabid dogs] are out of
danger [presumably as a consequence of post-exposure vaccination].

Furthermore, the head of the municipal Health department in Caala
said the municipal health technicians have increased actions to raise
the awareness of residents on preventive measures against rabies. He
stressed that in addition to conducting talks in health centers, the
health technicians have also conducted door to door sensitization
activities to encourage the population to take their animals to the
vaccination centers.

The Angop knows that in the entire township of Caala, since January
2009, the veterinary services have immunized approximately 500
animals with rabies vaccine including dogs, cats and monkeys.

Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

[Unfortunately, such incidents have not been rare in Angola, and the
efforts of the authorities have been reactive rather than preemptive.
In January 2007 (see archive reference below), a similar outbreak
occurred in another township (Ukuma), also close to the provincial
capital, in which 21 people were bitten by dogs, one of whom died}

The location of Caala, a community of approximately 7000 persons in
the province of Huambo, can be found at:
.

A map of the provinces of Angola can be accessed at:

showing Huambo in the centre of the country. - Mod.CP]