Published Date: 2007-06-08 16:00:02
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies, rodent - USA (OR)
Archive Number: 20070608.1870

RABIES, RODENT - USA (OREGON)
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Sun 3 June 2007
Source: OregonLive, Associated Press report [edited]
<http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1180905275220840.xml&storylist=orlocal>

A rat found in Deschutes County may be the 1st one in Oregon to test
positive for carrying the rabies virus, health officials said. "It's very,
very infrequent. If this really turns out to be positive, I think it would
be the 1st positive rat we have recorded in Oregon," said Dr Paul Cieslak,
an epidemiologist with the Oregon Department of Human Services. "You can't
get any more rare than that."
Rabies, a disease usually fatal to humans, is found most often in Oregon in
bats, state health officials say. The rat was discovered by a La Pine
resident whose dog picked it up, said Shannon Dames, communicable disease
manager for the Deschutes County Health Department. The dog's owner had the
obviously sick rat tested by a veterinarian. Health officials suspect it
may once have been domesticated. The rat has been sent to the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] in Atlanta for further
testing.
Rabies attacks the central nervous system and is usually fatal once
symptoms appear. Most people who get it are bitten by an infected animal.
Early symptoms include headache and fever, but they typically progress to
confusion, sleepiness, or agitation, according to CDC. It is transmitted
through the saliva of infected mammals.
"It is uncommon to see rabies in other animals in this area," said Karen
Yeargain, communicable disease coordinator for the Crook County Health
Department. "If we do see it in another animal, usually what we see is that
that animal has been bitten by a bat." Cieslak said foxes occasionally have
tested positive in Oregon, so when a bat or a fox bites a person, it is
taken seriously. If the animal is available it is tested for rabies, or the
person is given an immunoglobulin shot and a series of rabies vaccinations
as a precaution, a treatment that can cost more than USD 1500.
"We're getting into the season now where people are going outside and
coming into contact with bats more," Cieslak said, explaining rabies
reports tend to increase in summer. Last summer [2006], Deschutes County
saw a record number of rabies reports with 7 confirmed cases in bats,
according to the state. There were no cases reported in 2005, and one in 2004.
Cieslak said he's not certain if the area's growing population is causing
the increase in the reported incidents, or if rabies really is on the
increase in Oregon bats. "I'm a little worried that it's more than just
that more people are moving here. Not only were absolute numbers up, but
the percentage of bats that were tested that were positive for rabies was
higher," he said. "It's possible it's becoming more prevalent among bats."
About 9 per cent of bats tested in the state have rabies, Cieslak said, so
people bitten or scratched by a bat are advised to start rabies treatments.
"You don't want to take a 9 per cent chance in getting a disease that is
almost 100 per cent fatal," he said.
If pets haven't been vaccinated for rabies and are known to have been
exposed to the disease they are usually euthanized or vaccinated
immediately and quarantined for 6 months, Dames said. She said the dog that
found the rat had been vaccinated but will be quarantined for 45 days as a
precaution.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[We appreciate Leslie Bienen, DVM, MFA alerting us to this incident.
Although any mammal can acquire rabies, it is unusual to have a rodent
tested for rabies.
A map of Oregon may be found at
<http://www5.cnn.com/US/9902/17/school.shooting/map.oregon.springfield.jpg>.
- Mod.TG]
..................tg/mj/sh

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