Rabies, Fox, Human Exposure - USA : (North Carolina)

RABIES, FOX, HUMAN EXPOSURE - USA: (NORTH CAROLINA)
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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:
. - Mod.CP]

Rabies, Canine - Angola (03) : (Luanda)

RABIES, CANINE - ANGOLA (03): (LUANDA)
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A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Tue 23 Jun 2009
Source: OIE, Animal Health Information & Angolan Veterinary Services [edited]

[Re: ProMED-mail Rabies, canine - Angola (02): (LU), RFI 20090611.2164]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote [edited English]: "Monkeys have been vaccinated because they
were considered as pets. They live in houses in contact with humans
and dogs. After considering the risk of being a source of infection of
certain human cases in Luanda, the decision was to vaccinate this
species as well."

Communicated by:
Karim Ben Jebara

[We requested clarification on monkey vaccination against rabies by
Angola and got this information, which in my opinion makes sense. -
KBJ.]

[I thank Karim for going to the trouble to clarify this question.
Because "trapping" was mentioned, this moderator mistakenly thought
the monkeys involved were wild. - Mod.JW]

Rabies, Antelope - Namibia : Request for Information

RABIES, ANTELOPE - NAMIBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Fri 19 Jun 2009
From: Herbert Schneider

Rabies in Namibia
-----------------
A massive outbreak of rabies, affecting kudu antelopes, started early
last year [2008] in Namibia. During a helicopter count in the Khomas
highlands during the winter months of 2008 some 500 dead kudu bulls
were counted. Similar outbreaks were observed in the past, with the
largest one during the years 1977-1985 , when an estimated loss of
30-50 000 antelope (20 per cent of the population) was reported,
apparently involving oral spread of rabies infection between
individuals.

It is estimated that over 20 000 antelopes have died during the
current epizootic.

Dr Herbert P Schneider
Namibia


[Dr Schneider's authoritative clinical/epidemiological observation is
gratefully acknowledged. Laboratory confirmation and information on
possible control measures will be anticipated with interest. A
picture of a kudu is available at
.

The major, unique epizootic of 1977-1985, which decimated about 20
percent of the kudu antelope (_Tragelaphus strepsiceros_) population
of Namibia, as well as the later, smaller outbreaks of 2002 and 2006,
provided an example of horizontal spread between individuals by means
of non-bite transmission. The social behavior of kudu was believed to
be the contributing factor, through the exposure of mouth lesions
from the browsing of thorn bushes to the infected saliva.

References
----------
1. Schneider HP: Rabies in South Western Africa/Namibia. In Rabies in
the Tropics. Edited by: Kuwert, Merieux, Koprowski, Bogel. Berlin:
Springer; 1985:520-535.
2. Swanepoel R, Barnard BJH, Meredith CD, Bishop GC, Bruckner GK,
Foggin CM, Hubschle OJB: Rabies in southern Africa. Onderstepoort J
Vet Res 1993, 60: 325-346. Abstract available at
.
3. Mansfield K, McElhinney L, Huebschle O, Mettler F, Sabeta C, Nel
LH, Fooks AR: A molecular epidemiological study of rabies epizootics
in kudu (_Tragelaphus strepsiceros_) in Namibia. BMC Vet Res 2006,
Jan 13; 2:2. Available at
. - Mod.AS]

[The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Namibia can be accessed at
. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

Rabies, Canine - Angola (02) : (Luanda), Request for Information

RABIES, CANINE - ANGOLA (02): (LUANDA), REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: 11 Jun 2009
From: Jack Woodall

Re: Rabies, canine - Angola: (LU) OIE
----------------------------------------
This OIE report states: "Vaccinations in response to the outbreak(s)
in Luanda: 4457 cats vaccinated in all the municipalities of Luanda
province; 108 531 dogs vaccinated in all the municipalities of Luanda
province; ***901 wild monkeys vaccinated***" (my emphasis).

CDC says: "Cases of monkey-transmitted human rabies are rare;
however, one extremely long incubation period (37.5 months) was
reported (Wilson JM, Hettiarachchi J, Wijesuriya LM. Presenting
features and diagnosis of rabies. Lancet 1975;2:1139-40). CDC also
reports a human fatality in 1987 in Australia after a bite from a
monkey in a market in India, but none since (CDC (1988) Imported
Human Rabies -- Australia, 1987 Vol.37(22);351-3
).

The island of Bali, Indonesia has recently been experiencing a rabies
outbreak in dogs, reported by ProMED. Soegiarto, head of the
Denpasar-based Veterinary Main Office in Bali, recently urged local
authorities to monitor areas where tourists go to view wild monkeys,
while admitting that: "In countries affected by rabies outbreaks,
such as India and Pakistan, cases of rabies among monkeys have
***never*** been reported" (my emphasis)
.

As visitors and residents of India and Thailand know, there are many
monkey temples in those countries, wherein feral macaques mix with
stray dogs, which are a major source of human rabies in those
countries, but no rabies has been reported in the monkeys.

I am not aware of such places in Angola. So can anyone explain the
rationale behind spending a considerable amount of money to trap and
vaccinate nearly 1000 wild monkeys there?

Jack Woodall
Associate Editor, ProMED-mail

Rabies, Skunks - USA : (Texas)

RABIES, SKUNKS - USA: (TEXAS)
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
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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A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


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 - Mexico : (Jalisco)

RABIES - MEXICO: (JALISCO)
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A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Thu 21 May 2009
Source: Milenio online [in Spanish, trans. & summ. Mod.TY, edited]


A 63-year-old man residing in a small community in the
Hostotipaquillo municipality became the 2nd fatal sylvatic [wildlife]
rabies victim so far this year [2009] in the state. After inquiries
with family members, the Jalisco Secretariat of Health (SSJ) presumed
that he was bitten by a bat that transmitted the virus.

Yesterday [20 may 2009], the director general of Public Health of the
SSJ [Jalisco Health Secretariat], Elizabeth Ulloa Robles, said the
man indicated to his family that something bit him on the elbow, but
that it was not important. On 10 May [2009], 3 days before going to
the Magdalena Regional Hospital, he began to show general weakness,
paralysis of the hands, and alterations in gait, among other
symptoms; an internist considered that he had neurological
deterioration and sent him to the Juan I Menchaca Civil Hospital of
Guadalajara. Ulloa Robles added that the patient came to [the
Magdalena Regional Hospital] on 17 May [2009], "when he presented
with a 40 deg C [104 deg F] temperature, alterations in the state of
consciousness, ataxia, stiff neck ... when this was evaluated, as
detected by the temperature, it raised [indication of] an infectious
neurological [disease] process.

He underwent tests, including tomography, but he died the same day
[17 May 2009] at 22:50 hours. After discarding diseases such as
tuberculosis and influenza A H1N1, a sample of brain [tissue] was
sent to the state Public Health Laboratory, and it was determined
that he suffered from rabies [virus infection].

Ulloa Robles indicated that epidemiological barriers were established
in La Venta de Mochitiltic, where the man resided, as well as in 8
other localities in Hostotipaquillo [municipality], villages where
other possibly affected individuals are being sought.

This is the 2nd case of sylvatic rabies death in 2009 [in Jalisco].
On 2 Jan [2009], a 4-year-old girl died after being bitten by a bat,
in San Sebastian del Oeste. There have been no [human] rabies cases
transmitted from a dog or a cat in Jalisco since 1995. Given this
case of wildlife rabies, the SSJ requested that SAGARPA [Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Foods]
analyze the bat population that inhabits caves in the area for
circulation of rabies virus, and if found, to proceed with their destruction.

[Byline: Maricarmen Rello]

Communicated by:
Dr Eduardo Santana C.
Universidad de Guadalajara
Mexico


[It is not clear from this report which species of bat might have
been involved in these 2 cases. However, the bites of vampire bats
(_Desmodus rotundus_), a common transmitter of rabies virus to
livestock and occasionally to humans in the neotropics, are
characteristic and well known to rural people in Mexico. Vampire bat
bites can be discarded in these cases. However, there is evidence of
occurrence of rabies in several species of insectivorous bats in
Mexico (see the following references).