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9
UNIVERSITY PARK - Walking
through a field in Blair County last
month, a young boy spotted a wild
skunk. Having the curiosity of
most young boys, he picked up the
skunk and it promptly bit him.
Later the skunk was found to have
rabies.
In Wayne County recently, a
man walking barefoot in house was
bitten by a bat when he stepped on
it. Like the skunk, the bat had
rabies.
Although reported cases of
animal rabies are not common in
Pennsylvania, they do occur
regularly. As of November 1981,10
rabid animals had been reported in
the state, fewer than the 19 cases
reported in 1980 and 16 in 1979. But
the broadening states of Maryland
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Be alert for rabies, vaccinate your pet
and West Virginia are ex
periencing serious problems with
rabies, so Pennsylvanians would
be wise to have all pets vaccinated
and to be alert for wild or stray
animals.
Nationally the occurrence of
rabies is increasing rapidly. Last
year cases of animal rabies rose 65
percent over the average for the
previous five years. The number of
reported cases nationwide jumped
67 percent in 1979,
“These figures reflect only the
confirmed cases of rabies,” says
L. Dwight Schwartz, Extension
veterinarian at Penn State. “For
every case of wild animal rabies
reported, there are probably many
other cases in which the animal
dies and is never counted.”
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Bats are by far the most com
mon earners of rabies in Penn
sylvania. Of all reported rabid
animals m the last three years, 91
percent were bats. But any
mammal can be infected, in
cluding household pets. The rabies
virus reproduces in the salivary
glands and is transmitted by saliva
from infected animals, usually by
biting, Schwartz notes. Dogs and
cats that go outside are susceptible
to the virus through contact with
other animals.
“Vaccination is the best way to
protect your pets against rabies,”
Schwartz says. “Talk to your
veterinarian about vaccinations.
Your pets’ vaccinations must be
kept up to date.”
Rabies vaccinations for dogs are
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effective for three years, and those
for cats are effective for one year.
Unlike some other states, Penn
sylvania does not require vac
cination for dogs and cats,
although dogs three months old or
older brought in from outside
Pennsylvania are required by law
to be vaccinated, according to Dr.
E.J. Witte, director, Division of
Epidemiology of the Pennsylvania
Department of Health. It is up to
the pet owner to make sure pets
are safe from rabies.
Wild animals should never be
kept as pets, Schwartz says,
because rabies may be present m
the animal for a long tune before
symptoms show up. Skunks are
particularly dangerous because
they may carry rabies for up to two
years before any signs of the virus
are evident. Humans can be in
fected by rabies before the animal
exhibits any symptoms.
Wild animals can be vaccinated
with dog or cat vaccines, but Witte
warns that there is no certain
evidence that these vaccines are
effective on wild animals.
“Teach your children never to
touch any unfamiliar animal,”
Schwartz says. “Children are
especially susceptible to rabies if
they are exposed. ”
Cattle can also carry the virus,
which is especially dangerous
because farmers and
veterinarians might be exposed to
the saliva of rabid cattle before
they realize the animals are in
fected. Common signs of rabies in
cattle are frequent loud bellowing,
a change in voice pitch, and con
stipation, Schwartz says.
Rabid cattle have not been much of
a problem m Pennsylvania—the last
reported case was for one cow m 1973.
Witte estimates' that“ 99.9
percent of the state’s cattle are not
vaccinated because of the ranty of
rabid cattle here.
Srhwartz explains that there is
no typical symptom 'of rabies. ■
‘ ‘Different signs occur for different
species, and even among different
animals of the same species. The
first noticeable sign in any animal
is usually a change in behavior
that may seem like a digestive
disorder, injury, poisoning, or a
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foreign object in the mouth or
throat.” Because paralysis often
begins in the throat, the animal
will often stop eating and drinking.
It may seek solitude.
After a few days, the animal will
show signs of one of the two types
of rabies. It will begin to be
paralyzed (dumb rabies) or to act
vicious (furious rabies).
“Because the signs of rabies
vary, any animal behaving
unusually should be avoided,”
Schwartz says. “If you have an
animal that is behaving ab
normally, call your veterinarian.
If he suspects rabies, he’ll tell you
what to do.”
Rabies is a virus that attacks the
nervous system and finally the
brain. There is no treatment for
the virus once symptoms show up.
Most animals die within 10 days of
exhibiting symptoms, so Schwartz
notes that there is not always
cause to destroy an animal
suspected of having rabies - the
owner can wait and watch.
Anyone who is exposed to the
saliva of a rabid animal must
undergo treatment, which since
the development of a new vaccme
is not as unpleasant as it was in the
past. Until last year, 23
inoculations were required with
the old vaccme, but now only five
inoculations are necessary.
Schwartz urges that any bite
wound, especially one from a
possibly rabid animal, should be
flooded with isopropal alcohol to
prevent infection.
Witte notes that anyone who is
frequently exposed to wild animals
might benefit from having a pre
vaccination senes of inoculations
which protects the person from the
virus.
Inoculations are crucial for
anyone exposed to rabies because
once the symptoms appear, death
is almost inevitable. Witte cites
'only two fully documented cases m;
which people showed the symp
toms of rabies and lived. Ap
proximately 150 Pennsylvanians
have undergone rabies treatment
since June 1980, and the last case of
rabies symptoms in a human in the
state occurred in 1952.
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