 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the Alliance
for Rabies Control and other agencies around the world are celebrating the
first annual World Rabies Day September 8, 2007. “The purpose of World Rabies Day is to raise awareness
about the impact of human and animal rabies, how easy it is to prevent it and
to honor those who work daily to prevent rabies” says Dr. Bob Hartmann,
Amador County Health Officer. Rabies is a viral illness that humans and animals
can get from exposure to saliva or nervous tissue from a rabid animal. It is nearly always fatal if left untreated
but is also very preventable. Worldwide
50-to –60-thousand people die from rabies each year. Most of these deaths occur in Asia and Africa and are caused by rabid dog bites. In the United States
the number of human deaths has plummeted over the last 100 years.
Currently,
one to three human cases are reported per year according to the Center for
Disease Control. An Amador County
man died from a bat strain of rabies seven years ago. The main prevention methods used in this
country are pet vaccination and animal control measures. “It is
important that people and pets avoid contact with wild animals. In our area bats and skunks are the animals
most frequently infected,” according to Hartmann. If a person is bitten
by a bat, skunk, or other wild animal, they may require post exposure
prophylaxis (rabies shots) unless the animal can be tested.
Rabies shots can prevent the illness and are
very effective. “This
time of year we get calls almost daily about bats in houses”, says Lori
Jagoda, Amador County Public Health Nurse.
“This situation may
lead to rabies exposure so we need to know about it”.Bats have small,
sharp teeth and their bite might not be felt.
Most people know if they are bitten but under certain circumstances they
might not be able to tell. These include
waking up and finding a bat in your bedroom or a bat in a room with an
unattended child. If that happens, safely capture the bat for testing or call
Animal Control for advice. Do not let the bat out if there is a chance
that humans were exposed. “Ja-go-da says This year we’ve had
to recommend rabies shots for 18 people because of possible bat exposures,”
“Hartman says On World Rabies Day we would like to thank
them all. We’ve come a long way in the
last century,”
Here’s some
practical Rabies Prevention Recommendations from the public health department• Vaccinate dogs, cats &
livestock against rabies. • If a bat gets into your house, do not let it
out unless you are sure there has been no exposure.• Bat proof your house in the fall or winter• Avoid human and pet exposure to wildlife. Call Animal Control at 223-6378, Public
Health at 223-6407 or your veterinarian for more information.
For further information:
www.worldrabiesday.org, www.cdc.gov/rabies, www.batcon.org, www.co.amador.ca.us
|
