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Rabies
Rabies is a serious illness caused by a virus that infects the nervous system. Left untreated, it travels from the site of infection to the brain and spinal cord. Then, the disease quickly progresses leading to death. Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is almost always fatal. Only 6 documented cases of human survival from clinical rabies have ever been recorded. At the turn of the century in the U.S., approximately 100 rabies deaths occurred annually in humans. In the 1990's, 1 to 2 deaths occurred annually. These fatalities occurred in people who did not seek medical assistance in time.
Rabies is more often detected in wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes than it is in domestic animals like cats, dogs and cattle, by about 9:1. The disease is transmitted to humans nearly always through the bite of an infected animal. Virus in the saliva enters the body at the site of the wound. In studies of rabies acquired from bats, human rabies has been established after exposure to bat infested caves. It has been hypothesized that an airborne mechanism is responsible for transmission.
If you are bitten by a potentially rabid animal, immediately wash the area with soap and water and seek medical attention. Local animal control should be contacted so they can quarantine or send out the animal for rabies testing when possible. Your health care provider is the only one who can determine the proper treatment for you based on your incident specific circumstances. Factors involved in your doctor's decision will include: the type of animal involved, whether the attack was provoked or unprovoked, any vaccination status available on the animal, and whether the animal can be quarantined or tested for rabies. The important step you must take is that you must seek medical attention.
To reduce your risk and the risk to others of contracting rabies:
-keep vaccinations up to date for your dogs, cats, and other affected pets.
-call your local animal control agency to remove stray animals.
-never adopt or bring wild or stray animals into your home.
-prevent bats from from entering living quarters or occupied space in houses, churches, schools, etc.
-enjoy wild animals from a distance.
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