- Hello Jeff -- I have been warning for some time that
Rabies is going to become a problem...that his year was going to be
a very bad year for Rabies. Note the situation in the following report
from Promed.
-
- Jeff...look at the Mecklenburg cases. Amazing. There
needs to be more scientific study of Rabies and monitoring of any changes
in virus strains.
-
- I do not normally recommend vaccines, but, in the case
of Rabies,*++ I do urge people, especially in any areas where Rabies has
been active, to have their pets and livestock vaccinated against rabies.
-
-
- Patty
-
- RABIES, HUMAN, ANIMAL - USA
(FLORIDA, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA)
- North and South Carolina Mon 28 May 2007
- By James Kirley
-
- The Charlotte Observer online
-
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg [North Carolina] Animal Control
officials say they are alarmed that rabies cases might be on the rise again
in the area. Earlier this month [May 2007], [a resident of the Cotswold
community of southeast Charlotte] was working in his yard when a raccoon
jumped on his back and started biting him. "I didn't hear him coming,
and all of a sudden he was on me," he told WCNC-TV, the Observer's
news partner. "I could not break him loose." [The man] had to
undergo a series of [vaccine] shots to avoid coming down with rabies, a
neurological virus usually fatal to mammals. He is one of 2 cases of people
exposed to rabies in Charlotte recently. Other cases of attacks involving
family pets, which then had to be euthanized, also show rabies exposure
increasing, authorities say.
-
- "I think the problem is somewhat cyclical, and there
are some signs that it is increasing," said Mary Blinn, veterinarian
at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control Bureau. There were 19 cases
in Mecklenburg County between last 1 Jul 2006, the start of the fiscal
year, and 15 May 2007, compared to 16 the year before [2005-2006], and
the number is still growing. On Sunday [27 May 2007], for example, Animal
Control officers were called to Connan Lane, off Carmel Road, to deal with
a possible rabid animal.
-
- Numbers are not available for other nearby counties,
but Cabarrus, Iredell, and Union counties have averaged about a dozen cases
over the last 4 years. Fewer cases have been reported in Gaston and Lincoln
counties. [South Carolina] health officials also say the number of cases
is climbing.
-
- Mecklenburg's current number is still less than the 50
cases reported in fiscal year 2003 and the 32 cases in 2004. The last fatal
rabies case in North Carolina was in Cherokee County, 54 years ago.
-
- While the spread of rabies can threaten people, the problem
is bigger for domestic animals that have not received rabies vaccinations.
"If your pet is exposed to an animal and has not been vaccinated,
the choices are sad," said Melissa Knicely-Berry of the Animal Control
Bureau. Pet owners can either pay about USD 3000 to have their dogs, cats,
or ferrets quarantined for 6 months, or by law, they must have the pets
euthanized. "With the expense involved, most people choose euthanization,"
Knicely-Berry said. "And that's sad, because it's all preventable."
-
- The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control Bureau has rabies
shot clinics planned, as do most nearby counties. "People should stay
away from wild animals, eliminate things that attract those animals to
yards, and make sure their pets are vaccinated," Blinn said.
-
- Rabies is a preventable disease of mammals, most often
transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal. It is sometimes spread by saliva
or other body fluids of animals to people through skin cuts. The rabies
virus infects the central nervous system, eventually causing death. So-called
"dumb rabies" affects about one-quarter of animals that catch
the disease, causing them to withdraw and quietly die. More common is "aggressive
rabies," in which infected animals exhibit aggressive characteristics.
-
- In the Carolinas, rabies is spread most often by bats,
foxes, raccoons, and skunks, but there also have been cases involving bobcats,
coyotes, and groundhogs.
-
- [North Carolina] law requires the owners of dogs, cats,
and ferrets to have their animals vaccinated by age 16 weeks, then again
after one year, and then every 3 years.
-
- [South Carolina] law requires pets to be vaccinated by
4 months, with additional shots every one year or 3 years, depending on
the vaccine.
-
- Sources: [North Carolina] Department of Health and Human
Services.; [South Carolina] Department of Health and Environmental Control
-
- Mecklenburg cases:
- ------------------
-
- The 19 confirmed cases of rabies by wild animals in Mecklenburg
County since 1 Jul 2006. In some cases, records weren't clear as to whether
the exposed animal was euthanized. - Allen Black Road (Mint Hill), 6300
block -- 2 dogs killed raccoon; one dog was current on its rabies shot;
the other was not, and was euthanized. - Ambleside Drive, 7000 block --
dog bitten on the nose; dog was current on its rabies shots. - Brittany
Court, 5700 block -- person found dead raccoon. - Byrum Drive, 8300 block
-- bat found in barn at Animal Control Bureau. - Charmapeg Avenue, 4900
block -- man attacked by raccoon. - Chestnut Avenue, 1800 block -- 2 dogs
killed raccoon. - Crestridge Drive, 3900 block -- person killed raccoon.
- Dixie River Road, 5100 block -- dog exposed to fox. - Eastbrook Road,
5600 block -- dog killed raccoon. - Garvin Drive, 4200 block -- dog attacked
by raccoon. - Greencastle Drive, 8400 block -- cat exposed to bat. - Linden
Forest Lane, 4800 block -- dog found in garage with dead raccoon. - Queens
Road, 1400 block -- dog attacked by raccoon. - Parkwood Avenue, 9800 block
-- dog carried dead raccoon into house. - Poindexter Drive, 900 block --
dog killed raccoon. - Sebring Circle, 2900 block -- dog fought with a raccoon.
- Somerdale Lane, 4100 block -- dog came in contact with rabid raccoon;
owner also was exposed. - Tanktown Road (Matthews), 1600 block -- specifics
not available. - Well Spring Drive, 1100 block -- dog playing with a bat;
dog not current on rabies shots and was euthanized.
-
- http://www.charlotte.com/217/story/138226.html
-
-
-
- Florida (Indian County)
- TCPalm Local News
- 5-26-7
-
-
- (The following report is a response to a ProMED-mail
post entitled "Rabies, human, otter - USA (FL): Request for information
20070522.1636", which concerned what appeared to be a previously unrecorded
attack by a rabid otter on golfers at a course in Indian County, Florida.
-
- So far this year [2007], 10 people have been bitten by
rabid animals in Indian County, Florida: 3 by the otter in the incident
described below, and the others by raccoons and a stray cat. - Mod.CP)
-
- A rabid otter bit a female golfer at the 7th hole of
Grand Harbor's Harbor Course, on 7 May 2007, shortly after biting another
woman while she was walking her small dog.] Both were chased by the unprovoked
animal, which later bit a man at his home before being caught and hauled
off by county Animal Control. The otter tested positive for rabies, causing
all 3 bite victims to begin a series of vaccine [injections] to prevent
a disease that usually is fatal.
-
- The woman walking her dog] said the animal chased her
at least 100 yards (approx 91 m), onto a neighbor's porch. No one answered
the door and the otter continued to attack until she winged it with a doormat.
"I was terrified," she said. "I had been bit and it just
kept coming. You have a creature that's crazy, chasing you. There's very
little you can do."
-
- The 1st victim] said Wednesday (23 May 2007), she has
one more shot to go in a series of vaccines to prevent her from getting
the disease. "There's a pond on that hole -- it's a short par 3,"
she said. "(The otter) was on the grass. He or she was just staring
at me. "All of a sudden he charged me and bit my ankle," she
said. "There are 3 punctures." [Her] golf partner was some distance
behind her on the men's tee. "[He] caught up -- of course, he had
a golf club," she said. "He was swinging the club at the otter."
The animal chased them until they crossed a street. The couple then drove
to Indian River Medical Center, where [the other victim] already was being
treated. "He broke the skin in 12 different places," she said.
"The 4 big bites that I had all would have required stitches."
Instead, the wounds were left open to drain -- a common precaution against
infection with animal bites.
-
- Both women said they thought Grand Harbor management
should have moved more quickly to notify residents about the otter attack.
Some e-mails reportedly were sent to River Club residents the following
morning [8 May 2007], and a flier left on doorsteps throughout the community
was dated 9 May 2007 -- the same day Becker said health officials told
her the otter had tested positive for rabies. "Warning. Beware of
aggressive otters," the flier read in part. "Otters have recently
attacked residents in the area...Otters may carry rabies." Grand Harbor
Director of Golf, Frank Mentzer, referred questions to attorney and Grand
Harbor Senior Vice President, Annabel North, who did not return phone messages
left Tuesday and Wednesday (22 and 23 May 2007).
-
- "It is not unusual for otters to be rabid,"
said Cheryl Dunn, county director of environmental health. She said rabies
virus is always in the population of local raccoons, the chief animal carrier
during last fall's [2007] countywide rabies alert. "(Otters) compete
with raccoons for the same food and that puts them into contact,"
Dunn said. "I know of a few (instances) in Brevard County of otters
getting right into fishing boats on the St. Johns River."
-
- Dunn said one rabid otter does not indicate a widespread
problem among other otters living in the ponds at Grand Harbor. "They
wanted me and Animal Control to go out there and trap," Dunn said.
"But we don't go out and trap and remove entire populations."
Instead, officials have asked Grand Harbor residents to report any otters
behaving strangely. "If (an otter) moves toward you, be aware that
it may attack," the Grand Harbor flier warned. "Retreat immediately."
-
- Since 4 Jan 2007, when Indian River Count lifted a 3-month-old
countywide alert for the disease, 10 people bitten or exposed to raccoons,
a stray cat, and an otter have been vaccinated against rabies. In this
most recent incident on 7 May 2007, the otter bit 3 people on a Grand Harbor
golf course. Rabies is a virus transmitted to humans through the bite or
saliva of a warm-blooded animal. Left untreated, it is usually fatal.
-
- Tips to avoid exposure - 1. Vaccinate dogs, cats, ferrets
and horses against rabies. Unvaccinated pets can be a bridge between wildlife
and humans for the rabies virus. 2. Don't feed wildlife or place food outside
for domestic pets. 3. Be careful of places in your yard where raccoons
might nest, such as under tarps, covered boats, or piles of debris. 4.
Don't handle wild animals and avoid stray dogs and cats.
-
- If you are bitten, [consult immediately] a doctor, hospital,
or county Health Department. A series of vaccine [injections] administered
soon after a person is bitten or exposed to animal saliva prevents the
disease. The recommended deadline for getting rabies shots is 10 days after
exposure, but sooner is safer. - Indian River County Department of Environmental
Health.
-
-
- http://www1.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_5556049,00.html
-
-
- Communicated by ProMED-mail Rapporteur Joseph P. Dudley,
Ph.D
-
-
- Florida (FL), North Carolina (NC), and South Carolina
(SC) are located in the eastern United States and can be found on the map
at <http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/unitedstates.html>http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/unitedstates.html.
- CopyEd.MJ
- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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