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Published Date: 2010-08-20 14:00:04
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies update - USA (10): August 2010
Archive Number: 20100820.2906

RABIES, UPDATE - USA (10) AUGUST 2010
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In this update:
[1] Raccoon, feline exposure - Virginia
[2] Bat, human exposure - Idaho
[3] Bovine, human exposure - Virginia
[4] Bat, human exposure - Idaho
[5] Fox, canine, human exposure - South Carolina
[6] Bat, feline, canine, human exposure - Montana
[7] Canine, human exposure - Montana
[8] Raccoon, canine exposure - Virginia
[9] Raccoon, canine exposure - Florida

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[1] Raccoon, feline exposure - Virginia
Date: Mon 9 Aug 2010
Source: Fredricksburg.com, Associated Press (AP) report [edited]
<http://fredericksburg.com/News/apmethods/apstory?urlfeed=WFA/content/AP%20Virginia%20State%20News%20-%20No%20Weather/c7e2dd94f2754d658e71107de8529d85-d260e43b723547d88a509f23c34a3bdd-entry.xml>

Chesterfield County authorities say a cat that was attacked by a
rabid raccoon has been euthanized. Chesterfield County police say the
cat fled after he was attacked last week [2 Aug 2010]. The raccoon
later tested positive for rabies. The cat eventually returned home
with severe injuries. Because it had not been vaccinated, the cat was
euthanized in accordance with state law.

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[2] Bat, human exposure - Idaho
Date: Fri 6 Aug 2010
Source: KIDK TV, Associated Press (AP) report [edited]
<http://www.kidk.com/news/local/100120199.html>

The state Department of Health and Welfare says a boy was scratched
by a rabid bat while swimming at a pond in southwestern Idaho earlier
this week [week of 2 Aug 2010].

The agency says the child, who was visiting from Oregon, is
undergoing treatment for exposure to rabies, which can cause a deadly
viral illness without medical attention.

Bats are the only animals in Idaho known to naturally carry the
rabies virus. The bat that scratched the Oregon boy is the 3rd in
Idaho to test positive for rabies this year [2010]. Last year, 8 bats
tested positive for rabies in Idaho.

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[3] Bovine, human exposure - Virginia
Date: Fri 6 Aug 2010
Source: Martinsville Bulletin [edited]
<http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=24759>

A calf that died Wednesday [4 Aug 2010] in Ararat tested positive for
rabies, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The calf died of suspicious causes on a farm in the Ararat section of
Patrick County, according to a Department of Health news release. The
calf was subsequently tested, and it was confirmed positive for rabies.

The farm owner and one other person have begun post-exposure
prophylaxis (PEP) as a result of their exposure to the rabid calf,
the release states. The owner also has 16 other cows that are
considered to have had a possible exposure to the rabid calf. Those
cows will be placed under 6-month observation.

Rabies is a fatal disease that is caused by a virus. The rabies virus
is present predominantly in the saliva and nervous tissue (brain and
nerve cells) of infected animals and is transmitted most often by a
bite, the release states. Rabies causes inflammation of the brain and
is almost always fatal once symptoms develop.

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[Cattle of all ages are susceptible to the virus. While this article
does not tell us what animal the calf may have come in contact with,
it is often a skunk or raccoon, as the curious younger (be it horse
or cow) sticks its nose in the unstable intruder's face (the raccoon
or skunk) and promptly gets bitten. This is a great reminder that
cattle, especially show animals that are handled on a regular basis
represent a risk to human health. Those animals should be vaccinated
against rabies. - Mod.TG]

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[4] Bat, human exposure - Idaho
Date: Fri 6 Aug 2010
Source: KTVB.com [edited]
<http://www.ktvb.com/home/Garden-Valley-man-worried-about-rabid-bats-near-his-home-100162419.html>

Idaho health officials say 5 bats have been confirmed to carry
rabies, which is potentially deadly for humans. 2 of those bats were
confirmed Friday [6 Aug 2010]. 2 of the rabid bats came in contact
with a Garden Valley man who says he's fed up with this potentially
dangerous animal.

"I've always had bats around my house because they are a good
bug-getter. My neighbor and I, we both talk about them, they're not
harming a thing -- they're getting a lot of bugs. I know where they
roost and everything, but it's whole different story now that I've
got rabid bats," said the property owner.

Just last week [week of 26 Jul 2010] the property owner was caring
for his 6-year-old grandson, when a bat swooped down in the middle of
the day. "The bat flew around a little bit and then went to his back,
like attacked him," said the property owner. That bat was tested and
confirmed to have rabies. The grandson is now receiving a series of
rabies vaccination shots.

Dr Leslie Tengelsen, the deputy State Epidemiologists says, "Rabies
can be fatal in people and so it's very important that we take any
exposure to the disease very seriously."

The property owner is worried after 2 run-ins with rabid bats. "They
are a very good animal, bats are, they serve a purpose, but I'm not
sure I want them if they're going to have rabies," he said.

[Byline: Ty Brennan]

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[There is something very unjust about so many bats dying of white
nose syndrome and here a property owner likes them and is faced with
rabies in the colony near his home. - Mod.TG]

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[5] Fox, canine, human exposure - South Carolina
Date: Sun 8 Aug 2010
Source: The Pickens Sentinel [edited]
<http://www.pickenssentinel.com/view/full_story/9044672/article-Pelzer-woman-attacked-by-rabid-fox-?instance=home_news_lead>

A Pelzer woman is under a physicians care after being attacked by a
fox that tested positive for rabies, according to health officials.

"The woman was attacked as she approached the fox while it was
attacking her dogs," said Sue Ferguson with the SC Department of
Health and Environmental Control [DHEC].

This is the 4th confirmed rabid animal in Greenville County so far
this year [2010], and health officials are warning the public to
avoid wild animals acting tame and tame animals acting wild. "If you
think you have been exposed to the rabies virus through a bite,
scratch or the saliva of a possibly infected animal, immediately wash
the affected area with plenty of soap and water," she said. "Then be
sure to get medical attention and report the incident to DHEC."

So the Pelzer woman recently attacked is undergoing preventative
inoculations, a step necessary for anyone exposed to the saliva of a
rabid animal in order to keep the virus from reaching the brain.

[Byline: Sandy Foster]

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[6] Bat, feline, canine, human exposure - Montana
Date: Tue 10 Aug 2010
Source: Helenair.com, Independent Record report [summ. & edited]
<http://helenair.com/news/article_c846cb0a-a445-11df-9409-001cc4c03286.html>

Three recent incidents of exposures to bats in Gallatin, Teton, and
Flathead counties have prompted health officials to remind people of
the dangers of rabies and the importance of vaccinating pets.

According to the state Department of Livestock (DOL), 2 people are
undergoing post-exposure treatment after being exposed to bats. Steve
Merritt, a DOL spokesman, said they weren't bitten or scratched, but
were close to the bats. In addition to the human exposure, an
unvaccinated cat in that house is under a 180-day quarantine.

In a 2nd case, an unvaccinated dog that was possibly exposed to
rabies via a bat also is quarantined. In another case, an
unvaccinated cat was euthanized.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease, spread through the saliva, bites,
or scratches from an infected animal, and causes swelling of the
brain in mammals, including humans. Rabies is almost always fatal
unless treated before symptoms appear, but remains a rare event in
humans, causing only one or 2 deaths per year nationwide, according
to the Centers for Disease Control. However, rabies kills more than
55 000 people worldwide each year, mainly in Asia and Africa.

Bats and skunks are the most common carriers of the disease in
Montana. Rabies is a mandatory reportable disease in Montana.

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[7] Canine, human exposure - Montana
Date: Mon 9 Aug 2010
Source: The Bismarck Tribune [edited]
<http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_14dd46b4-a406-11df-913e-001cc4c002e0.html>

A 12-year-old Bismarck boy and his family are hoping the owner of 2
small white dogs will come forward with vaccination records so the
boy can discontinue rabies shots.

The boy came around a corner near Hillside Park as he was on his was
to the swimming pool and apparently startled the dogs, one of which
bit him on the foot.

A woman, described as elderly with short gray hair, stopped to talk
to the boy after the incident and both went on their separate ways.

The wound became infected and a doctor recommended the boy undergo a
series of rabies shots, the 1st of which was administered Thursday [5
Aug 2010]. The doctor filed a report with the animal control division
of the Bismarck Police. The series of shots will have to continue
through the 1st week of September [2010] unless it can be determined
the dogs' rabies vaccinations are up to date.

Other than having to go in for a rabies shot once a week until the
1st week of September, the boy is doing fine.

[Byline: Brian Gehring]

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[8] Raccoon, canine exposure - Virginia
Date: Tue 10 Aug 2010
Source: Fredricksburg.com, Associated Press (AP) report [edited]
<http://fredericksburg.com/News/apmethods/apstory?urlfeed=WFA/content/AP%20Virginia%20State%20News%20-%20No%20Weather/a00d59de892148abafc6f3dac99b3345-1e9835d7548b4efda3b1e46450d343ba-entry.xml>

A raccoon that was found dead in Tazewell County has tested positive
for rabies. Health officials say the raccoon was found dead Saturday
[7 Aug 2010] in a subdivision in the Gratton area. A stray dog that
carried the raccoon in its mouth is being confined and will be tested
for rabies. There were no reports of humans being exposed to the raccoon.

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[9] Raccoon, canine exposure - Florida
Date: Tue 10 Aug 2010
Source: The Orlando Sentinel [edited]
<http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/fl-palm-first-rabies-case-brf-20100810,0,6993994.story>

The 1st rabid animal case of the year [2010] was confirmed on Tuesday
[10 Aug 2010] in Palm Beach County, according to the Palm Beach
County Health Department.

A raccoon came into contact with 2 Rottweilers -- both of which
suffered cuts and scrapes -- in Jupiter Farms on Sunday [8 Aug 2010],
according to health department spokesman Tim O'Connor.

The raccoon tested positive for rabies, according to the Florida
State Laboratory in Lantana. There has been no human exposure.

The dogs are being examined by county Animal Care and Control to
ensure their rabies vaccinations are up to date. If not, they face a
mandatory 6 months in quarantine.

[Byline: Wayne Roustan]

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[The saga continues of urban life encroaching on wildlife habitat
such that wildlife and humans, or pets, or both come into contact.
Public health education makes every effort to reach out to the
public, but it seems the public believes they are invincible and that
rabies cannot touch their family.

Vaccination of your pets, including horses, show cattle, and ferrets
as well as dogs and cats is an essential need to protect yourself. It
will also prevent the loss of your pet in the event it comes in
contact with a rabid animal. Rabies is deadly, to humans and pets.
Vaccination is a cheap form of insurance. - Mod.TG]

See Also