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July 8, 2004
Little
Rock --
After learning last week of the death of an Arkansas resident of bat rabies, the Arkansas Department of Health, in collaboration with Centers of Disease Control and the Texas Department of Health is conducting a public health investigation.
The two goals of the investigation are to make sure that any individuals exposed to saliva of the deceased receive rabies prevention treatment and to understand how the individual was exposed to rabies in the first place. “We think we have achieved the second goal,” said Dr. Frank Wilson, State Epidemiologist, “and are well on our way to achieving the first. We received reports from friends of the deceased that he had reported being bitten by a bat. The great tragedy here is that rabies is almost entirely preventable if we are able to get the appropriate treatment to an exposed person before they begin to show signs of the disease. We hope that the lesson everyone learns from this tragedy is that it is important to test bats that have come into contact with humans for rabies and for people who are bitten to seek treatment when this is not possible.”
To achieve the goal of protecting citizens that may have come into contact with the patient’s saliva, a public health team consisting of a physician, epidemiologist, nurses, public health investigators and CDC specialists has retraced the resident’s final weeks of life to locate anybody who may have come in contact with his saliva. “In general,” according to Dr. Sharon Williams, state public health veterinarian, “rabies virus is shed in saliva for only a day or two before signs of disease begin.” However, to err on the side of caution, the health department is considering eligible for treatment anybody that may have had contact with saliva since the middle of April. This includes contacts that may have shared utensils, cigarettes, been kissed or bitten.
The Arkansas Department of Health is indebted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of Health for their contributions to the timely investigation and treatment of contacts. Two pharmaceutical companies, Aventis-Pasteur and Chiron, both provided free post-exposure treatment and waived normal paperwork requirements to facilitate the process.
“A human death from rabies is always a tragedy,” said Williams, “compounded in this case because the transplantation of the patient’s organs subsequently resulted in the death of three more individuals in other states. The last human death from rabies in Arkansas was in 1991. We need to get the word out to
everybody about how to protect themselves and their families from this terrible disease.”
Bats living in close proximity with humans are a fact of life in Arkansas. Every year, the health department tests many bats. In 2003, eight bats in the state were positive for rabies and there have been four positive so far in 2004. Nevertheless, bats play an important role in the ecosystem, eating large quantities of agricultural pests, nuisance insects and disease vectors, such as the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus. The following precautions will minimize the risk of rabies to you and your loved ones:
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Do not touch a sick or dead bat.
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If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, try to catch the bat (see safety precautions below) so that it can be tested for rabies by the Health Department. Wash the wound with soap and water. Seek a doctor’s care immediately.
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Protect your pets from rabies by making sure their vaccinations are up-to-date.
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Exclude bats from your living quarters by plugging all the very small holes bats can use to gain entry and by using chimney caps and screening to make entry impossible. You may need to seek professional help to do an effective job.
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If a bat is trapped inside your house make sure all children and pets are kept away. Try to trap or kill the bat and take it to the Health Department for testing. Handle bats with heavy leather gloves.
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If a bat is present in your home and you cannot rule out the possibility of exposure, leave the bat alone and contact an animal-control agency for assistance. If professional help is unavailable, use precautions to capture the bat safely, as described below.
What you will need:
When the bat lands, approach it slowly, while wearing the gloves, and place the box or coffee can over it. Slide the cardboard under the container to trap the bat, tape the cardboard to the container securely, and punch small holes in the cardboard, allowing the bat to breathe. Contact the Health Department or your local animal control authority to make arrangements for rabies testing.
For more information, visit the ADH website at http://www.healthyarkansas.com/.
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