|
June
11, 2007
Little
Rock --
A dog from Logan County has been confirmed as rabid by the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health (DOH). The dog has been put to sleep, but had bitten its two owners, who are Logan County residents. The owners are currently undergoing treatment for exposure to rabies in order to prevent them from developing rabies.
Susan Weinstein, DVM, State Public Health Veterinarian at the DOH, said, “ Right now our concern is with possible contact this dog may have had during the last month with other animals or humans in the area in which it had been living. We want to make sure people get the vaccinations for their pets up-to-date, and that they are on the lookout for animals that may be behaving strangely.”
Local officials are distributing a flyer about rabies prevention to the residents of the immediate area where the rabid dog had lived. It advises parents to talk to their children about any recent contact they might have had with any dog or other animal, especially one that was behaving strangely. If the children or anyone in the household has had contact, such as a bite, nip or a scratch from an animal in the last 30 days, they are further advised to talk to their doctor.
Rabies is a virus that attacks the nervous system and is nearly always fatal. Only a handful of people throughout the world have ever survived a rabies infection. Rabies is most often seen in skunks and bats in Arkansas, but other wild animals can transmit rabies. Cats, dogs, ferrets and livestock can also develop rabies, especially if they are not vaccinated.
The first sign of rabies in dogs and cats is usually a change in behavior. The animal may become unusually aggressive or tame. Staggering, convulsions, choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis are often present. Many animals have a marked change in voice pitch, such as a muted or off-key tone. An animal usually dies within one week of demonstrating signs of rabies.
People usually are exposed to the rabies virus when an infected animal bites them. Exposure may also occur if an infected animal’s saliva enters a human scratch, open cut or mucous membrane, such as the eyes, nose or mouth.
If you think you have been exposed to an animal with rabies, wash your wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. Contact your physician and county health unit -more- Division of Health immediately and report the incident. They will help make a determination as to whether or not rabies preventive treatment is needed. If someone who has possibly been exposed does not have health insurance or cannot afford to pay for the rabies preventive treatment, the authorities may be able to provide the rabies treatment at no cost.
The animal in question should be captured without damaging its head or risking further exposure so it can be tested for rabies in the Public Health Laboratory in Little Rock. This testing is a critical part of determining whether someone needs to receive rabies preventive treatment.
If an apparently healthy domesticated dog or cat bites a person, it should be captured, confined and observed daily for 10 days following the bite. If the animal remains healthy during this period of time, it did not transmit rabies at the time of the bite. The brain tissue of all wild animals must be tested for rabies if human exposure has occurred. Some types of animals such as squirrels, mice, rats, opossums, armadillos and rabbits virtually never get rabies, so bites from these animals are considered low-risk.
If a rabies-suspect biting animal cannot be observed or tested, or it tests positive for rabies, a physician should determine if treatment should begin immediately. Human treatment consists of a dose of rabies immune globulin administered as soon as possible after exposure. If there is a wound, the full dose of immune globulin should be injected around the wound. The first of five doses of rabies vaccine is given at the same time, with the remaining injections given three, seven, 14 and 28 days following the initial injection.
What can people do to protect themselves against rabies?
- Vaccinate all dogs and cats against rabies.
- Do not feed, touch or adopt wild animals.
- Keep family pets indoors at night.
- Bat-proof your home or summer camp in the fall or winter.
- The majority of human rabies cases are caused by bat bites. Bat bites are so small, many people never realize they are bitten. Inform your physician if a bat is in the room with a child or sleeping person. If possible, submit the bat for testing. Do not release it!
- Encourage children to immediately tell an adult if any animal bites them.
Report all animal bites or contact with wild animals to your county health unit. Do not let any animal escape that has possibly exposed someone to rabies. Depending on the species, an animal can be observed or tested for rabies in order to avoid the need for rabies treatment.
### |
