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Phone: 518-648-6497 Fax: 518-648-6143 Email: hcphns@frontiernet.net |
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Hamilton County Public Health Nursing Service will be holding free rabies clinics this spring for pets of Hamilton County residents. Visit our Upcoming Events page for a list of dates and locations.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. The virus is present in the saliva and nervous tissue of a rabid animal.
What are the signs of rabies in animals?
All warm blooded mammals including humans can get rabies. Among wild animals, rabies is most often seen in raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes. Cats, dogs, ferrets and livestock can also get rabies if they are not vaccinated to protect them. Deer and large rodents, such as woodchucks, have been found rabid in areas affected by raccoon rabies.
The first sign of rabies is usually a change in the animal’s behavior. It may become unusually aggressive or tame. The animal may lose fear of people and natural enemies and may appear affectionate and friendly. It may also become excited, irritable and snap at anything in its path. Staggering, convulsions, spitting, choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis are sometimes noted. Many animals have a marked change in voice and most die within one week after showing signs of rabies.
Symptoms of rabies in humans include irritability, headache, fever and sometimes itching or pain at the site of exposure. Within days, the disease progresses to paralysis, spasms of the throat muscles, convulsions, delirium and death.
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How do people become exposed to rabies?
People usually become exposed to rabies when an infected animal bites them. Exposure may also occur if saliva enters a scratch, open cut or mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth). Bats have small, sharp teeth that may not leave a visible puncture wound, therefore it is possible to be bitten without knowing it as described in the following scenarios: · contact between a person’s bare skin and the bat’s head · bat found in a room with a sleeping person or an unattended child · bat found close to an unattended child outdoors · bat found in a room with a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs or with other sensory or mental impairment
What should you do if you are exposed to rabies?
Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. Contact your doctor and Hamilton County Public Health Nursing Service immediately. Try to capture the animal without damaging its head or risking further exposure.
If an apparently healthy domestic dog, cat or ferret bites a person, it must be captured, confined and observed daily for ten days following the bite. All wild animals must be tested for rabies if human exposure has occurred.
Human treatment of rabies consists of a dose of rabies immune globulin administered as soon as possible after exposure. The first of five doses of rabies vaccine is given at the same time, with the remaining injections given one each on days 3, 7, 14, and 28 following the initial injection. For more information on rabies visit the New York State Department of Health’s website at www.health.state.ny.us.
To view a video on capturing bats for testing visit www.nyhealth.gov/diseases/communicable/zoonoses/rabies and click on the upper left corner link called “Catch The Bat!”.
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