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Published Date: 2010-09-27 15:00:05
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies update - USA (16): September 2010
Archive Number: 20100927.3499

RABIES, UPDATE - USA (16): SEPTEMBER 2010
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In this update:
[1] Canine, human exposure - Minnesota
[2] Bat, human exposure - Georgia
[3] Raccoon, canine - Georgia
[4] Raccoon, canine - North Carolina
[5] Bat, human exposure - Arizona
[6] Bat, feline - Texas
[7] Feline - Pennsylvania
[8] Raccoon, canine (fox), human exposure - Massachusetts
[9] Canine (fox, dog), human exposure - Massachusetts
[10] Bat, human exposure - New Jersey

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[1] Canine, human exposure - Minnesota
Date: Sun 12 Sep 2010
Source: Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital [edited]
<http://www.quarryhillvet.com/animal-health-care/2010-09-12/more-rabies-cases-in-minnesota/>

On the 1st of this month [September 2010], another Minnesotan dog
tested positive for rabies. According to the Minnesotan Board of
Animal Health, there have been 41 animal cases of rabies in Minnesota
so far this year [2010] (2 dogs, 3 cats, 3 cows, 16 bats, and 17
skunks. Please see the map for location details at
<http://www.bah.state.mn.us/diseases/rabies/files/rabies-map10.pdf>).

In this particular case of rabies, 8 individuals have been advised to
obtain post-exposure prophylaxis.

For more information on rabies, visit <http://www.bah.state.mn.us>.

[Byline: Ann M Anderson]

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[The state of Minnesota can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail
interactive map at <http://healthmap.org/r/00DI>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

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[2] Bat, human exposure - Georgia
Date: Wed 15 Sep 2010
Source: On Line Athens, Athens Banner-Herald [edited]
<http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/091510/cop_707755873.shtml>

Athens-Clarke County Animal Control officers were awaiting test
results Tuesday [14 Sep 2010] to learn if a bat that bit a University
of Georgia [UGA] student 2 days earlier had rabies, UGA police said.
[At the time of this article it was not known if the bat was
positive. However, the bat has tested positive. - Mod.TG]

The student saw the bat crawling on a sidewalk outside the Student
Learning Center early Sunday evening [12 Sep 2010], and the bat bit
him when he picked it up, police said. The bite didn't break the
student's skin, but animal control officials consider the bite to be
a potential rabies exposure and ordered testing, according to police.

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[3] Raccoon, canine - Georgia
Date: Fri 17 Sep 2010
Source: Coastal Courier [edited]
<http://www.coastalcourier.com/news/article/24415/>

A companion dog that was not up to date on his rabies vaccination and
got into a fight with a raccoon that tested positive for rabies has
been placed under strict, 6-month isolation. The altercation occurred
in Long County. As a result, officials with the Environmental Health
Division of the Liberty County Health Department encourage all
residents to take proper precautions against rabies.

"If a pet comes into contact with a rabid animal and contracts the
virus, that pet could pass the disease to humans," Environmental
Health Director of the Liberty County Health Department Linus Woodard
said. "That's why pet vaccination is an important line of defense.
Not vaccinating your pet puts you, your pet and others at risk."

Rabies can be transmitted through the bite, scratch, or saliva of an
infected animal. The disease attacks the central nervous system and
is often fatal. Rabies is carried by raccoons, bats, skunks, foxes,
and other mammals. Because family pets may encounter wild animals
carrying the disease, it is extremely important to get pets
vaccinated annually. It is also Georgia law.

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[The state of Georgia can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail
interactive map at <http://healthmap.org/r/00u5>. The counties
mentioned in the 2 reports above can be seen on the map of the state
at <http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/county-map/georgia.shtml>. -
Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

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[4] Raccoon, canine - North Carolina
Date: Wed 15 Sep 2010
Source: WGHP-TV [edited]
<http://www.myfox8.com/news/wghp-story-rabies-100915,0,2274036.story>

The 6th rabies case in Alamance County was confirmed Wednesday [15
Sep 2010] by the state's Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh,
according to a release by the county's health department.

A dog residing on Fitch Street in Mebane was discovered Tuesday [14
Sep 2010] with a dead raccoon in its mouth. The owner retrieved the
dead animal and notified the animal control division of the Alamance
County Sheriff's Office. According to the release, the dog was put
down after not having up-to-date rabies vaccine.

The release also stated there is concern that other animals in the
area may have had contact with the exposed dog. Alamance County
Animal Control is investigating and trying to identify any other
animals to notify their owners.

Residents in this area should contact Alamance County Animal Control
at (336) 570-6302 or Mebane Police at (919) 563-9031.

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[The state of North Carolina can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://healthmap.org/r/09FP>. Alamance County can be located on the
map at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamance_County,_North_Carolina>. -
Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

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[5] Bat, human exposure - Arizona
Date: Fri 17 Sep 2010
Source: Mohave Daily News [edited]
<http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2010/09/17/news/local/doc4c930a5fbfc2a909581931.txt>

Mohave County's Department of Public Health has confirmed 2 reports
of rabid bats in Mohave County. "One was in Fort Mohave and the other
was on Lake Mohave," County Environmental Health Manager Rachel
Patterson said. "Both had human contact."

The Fort Mojave incident took place in late July [2010] and the Lake
Mohave report is from a couple of weeks ago, County Epidemiologist
Anna Scherzer said. "The bats were submitted to the Arizona
Department of Health Services (ADHS) and came back positive for rabies."

Since there was human exposure in both cases, "rabies prophylaxis was
recommended," County Nursing Services Manager Christine Bronston
said. The people who came in contact with the rabid creatures in both
cases "were under the age of 18."

The last confirmed rabies reports in Mohave County were in 2007,
Scherzer said. "There were 2 rabid bats found in the Bullhead City
area within 6 months that year. It is not unusual for a couple of
confirmed rabid bats to be found in the Bullhead City area during any
given year."

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[The state of Arizona can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail
interactive map at <http://healthmap.org/r/09FQ>. Mohave County can
be located on the map at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohave_County,_Arizona>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

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[6] Bat, feline - Texas
Date: Fri 17 Sep 2010
Source: Valley Central [edited]
<http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=513436>

The Brownsville Health Department workers spent most of Friday [17
Sep 2010] handing out flyers. They were there alerting neighbors on
East Cowen Terrance Road after a bat found in the area had tested
positive for rabies.

"On 11 Sep 2010 there's a cat that brought a bat that it had killed
to its owner," said Brownsville Mayor Pat Ahumada. "The owner turned
in the bat to the health department who sent it out to the state lab
to analyze it and to see if it was rabid."

According to health officials, this wasn't any local bat species --
it was a bat from Mexico or Central America and it tested positive
for rabies. The bat is a northern yellow bat, more commonly found in
Mexico or Central America. Authorities believe it got to Brownsville
with the powerful winds from Tropical Storm Hermine. Mayor Ahumada is
urging residents to be alert and monitor their pets who may have come
in contact with the cat.

[Byline: Mary Avila]

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[Photos of northern yellow bat (_Lasiurus intermedius_) may be seen
at <http://www.tampabats.com/northernyellow.html>. While this article
indicates it may have come from Mexico, the bat is one of the larger
species found in Florida - Mod.TG]

[Brownsville is the southernmost city in Texas. It can be located via
the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://healthmap.org/r/09FR>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

******
[7] Feline - Pennsylvania
Date: Sat 18 Sep 2010
Source: abc27.com, WHTM [edited]
<http://www.abc27.com/Global/story.asp?S=13177173>

A cat found near the 600 block of Magaro Road in Enola has tested
positive for rabies, according to the state Department of Health.

Health officials are asking anyone who may have been bitten or
exposed to saliva, fluids, or tissue from a stray cat to contact the
Cumberland County State Health Center.

Anyone with a pet that may have come in contact with the rabid cat
should contact a veterinarian for information about how to protect
the animal as well as family members.

Touching or handling a potentially rabid animal is not considered an
exposure unless you have been bitten, scratched, or had saliva,
fluids, or tissue enter an open wound, according to the Department of Health.

Officials said exposure can occur in someone who had contact with the
rabid animal's mucous membranes by touching the animal's eye, mouth
or nose. Under these circumstances, immediate medical attention
should be sought.

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[The state of Pennsylvania can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://healthmap.org/r/09FU>. Cumberland County can be located on the map at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_County,_Pennsylvania>. -
Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

******
[8] Raccoon, canine (fox), human exposure - Massachusetts
Date: Tue 21 Sep 2010
Source: Boston.com [edited]
<http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/09/jp_resident_exp.html>

A Jamaica Plain [JP] resident who came in contact with a rabid
raccoon Sunday [19 Sep 2010] is receiving post-exposure treatment for
the serious illness that affects the central nervous system.

The raccoon has been captured, and the city's Public Health
Commission warned area residents about the case today [21 Sep 2010]
and reminded them to "steer clear of stray and wild animals."
Officials plan to distribute fliers in Jamaica Plain to alert
residents to the rabies case and instruct them on what to do if they
think they have been exposed.

When the health commission was notified late Monday [20 Sep 2010] by
the state Laboratory Institute that a raccoon picked up in Jamaica
Plain on Sunday was rabid, an investigation began to determine
whether anyone had been exposed to the rabid animal, officials said.

Health officials would not comment further on the exposed person's
condition or say how the person had been in contact with the animal.

The JP encounter was announced as another rabid animal was reported
in Weymouth. 2 police officers were treated after an encounter with a
rabid fox, which had attacked a dog tied to a tree in a backyard.

Rabies, a rare illness caused by a virus, spreads to animals or
people through saliva (spit) of infected animals, usually occurring
after a bite or scratch from an animal with the disease, health officials said.

Any mammal can get rabies, but it is more commonly found in raccoons,
skunks, foxes, bats, dogs, and cats.

For more information about rabies, please contact the Boston Public
Health Commission, Infectious Disease Bureau at 617-534-5611.

[Byline: Matt Rocheleau]

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[9] Canine (fox, dog), human exposure - Massachusetts
Date: Mon 20 Sep 2010
Source: WBZ-TV [edited]
<http://wbztv.com/local/rabies.concern.animals.2.1922967.html>

Weymouth police officer and 3 others are being treated for exposure
to rabies, after a rabid fox went on the attack.

A resident on Bradford Street made a panicked call to police when the
fox started attacking her dog, jumping on him, and biting him. Sgt.
Dave Phillips answered the call not once, but twice, and came
face-to-face with the fox. "I approached the fox and got within a
couple feet of it. I thought it was dead. I turned around and it
hissed at me and chased me through the backyard," he said.

The dog has now been quarantined for 45 days, while Sgt. Phillips,
the dog owner, a neighbor, and an animal control officer are
undergoing a series of shots.

Officers eventually caught up with the fox and put it down. Tests
later revealed the fox had rabies. Rabies is transmitted through
saliva, and they all touched the dog's leash and dog's body that was
bitten by the fox. The speculation is there's a den in a swampy area
on the edge of the neighborhood, and if there's one rabid fox,
there's bound to be more.

[Byline: Beth Germano]

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[The state of Massachusetts can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://healthmap.org/r/009x>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

******
[10] Bat, human exposure - New Jersey
Date: Mon 20 Sep 2010
Source: My Central Jersey [edited]
<http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100920/NEWS/9200338/2-exposed-to-Bound-Brook-rabid-bat-receiving-treatments>

Of 10 people who contacted the Middle-Brook Regional Health
Commission to report having been near, or having touched a rabid bat
retrieved at the Bound Brook Apartments several days ago, 2 are
undergoing a treatment protocol to guard against contracting the virus.

Commission Health Officer Kevin Sumner said Monday [20 Sep 2010] that
anyone who came forward stating they were in the area or saw the bat
"have received written notification they need to speak to a
physician. We have confirmed that 2 of these individuals are
receiving rabies treatment due to their contact with the bat."

Dr Dennis McGill, director of the Emergency Department at Somerset
Medical Center, said treating 2 suspected rabies cases is unusual.
"Usually, we don't have the confirmation and we treat the individual
for the potential of exposure to rabies," McGill said, before adding,
"but here, we have the proof."

The ages of those undergoing treatment were not disclosed. The bat
was retrieved from outside the garden apartment complex on 10 Sep
2010. Testing at a state laboratory in Trenton confirmed the animal had rabies.

In an incidence of a pet dog or cat bite, McGill said the individual
bitten does not immediately start treatment for rabies. "Authorities
typically put the animal into a 14-day quarantine to first observe
it, and see if it exhibits abnormal behavior," McGill said and added
that there is urgency to start treatment in a known case of animal
rabies [the bat has tested positive for rabies] because "If you get
rabies, there is no treatment."

The 2 individuals undergoing treatment have received an injection of
immunoglobulin and the 1st of 4 shots of the rabies vaccine on their
initial visit to the emergency room, McGill said. "The treatment
protocol calls for another injection on the 3rd day, the 7th day, and
at the 2-week mark," McGill said. McGill added that just last year
[2009], the treatment protocol was lowered from 5 injections of the
vaccine to 4.

[Byline: Laurie Levoy]

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[The state of New Jersey can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail
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[This last article does not tell us how these 2 individuals were
selected from the 10 other people that called the health center. Did
these 2 people examine the bat? Were they bitten by the bat? The
article says the bat was found, implying perhaps that it was already
dead? There seem to be many details lacking here.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabies
is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted
through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority of rabies cases
reported to the CDC each year occur in wild animals like raccoons,
skunks, bats, and foxes. The rabies virus infects the central nervous
system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.

The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to those of many
other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or
discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear
and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial
paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation
(increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, which has incorrectly
been described as hydrophobia or fear of water; rather it should be
described as inability to swallow water. It has nothing to do with
being afraid of water. Death usually occurs within days of the onset
of these symptoms.

It is worth noting, that many of these synopses have pointed out that
rabies clinics are being offered. This is progress. Understanding
that vaccinated pets are a barrier to humans getting the disease, as
well as avoiding the tragedy of having to euthanize their pet. - Mod.TG]

See Also