Prepared by Mr. Shoup

Rabies

• Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal.

• The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like:

• Raccoons, Skunks, Bats, Coyotes and Foxes

-Rabies at first in NYS was disease carried by domestic dogs, started by the European's settlers in 1770's

In 1930's records of rabies cases where recorded from 20-600 rabid cases yearly.

-Still most rabies is domestic dogs and now livestock.

-From 1925 until 1944 there were 10 human rabies fatalities, all linked to domestic dogs.

-1950's canine vaccination programs start in NYS, now foxes become the problem.

-1950's rabies more now in foxes, skunks, and raccoons.-1957-Bat rabies increases.-1977-1989 Raccoon rabies spread from West Virginia to Virginia, to Pennsylvania to

NYS.

-Spread at the yearly rate of about 20 miles upward through NYS.-1990's red fox in the Northern New York counties from Canada.

-1993 & 1995 two human deaths occur from bat rabies.

-The 1993 death was the first in New York State since 1944.

-March 4, 2003-First human death from a raccoon in the United States.

-Oct 2004-The first documented recovery from clinical rabies-15 year

old female from the state of Wisconsin-bitten on left index finger.

-6 known occurrence of human recovery after rabies infection.-July of 2004 first rabies transmission from organ transplants-3 people

-Rabies up to this time only occurred 8 times from cornea transplants.

3 cases from solid organs

Rabies Facts• Endotherms-Warm Blooded Animals• Examples: Birds, mammals, humans• They maintain their body temperature.• Can get rabies.

• Ectotherm-Cold Blood Animals• Examples: fishes, amphibians and reptiles• Change their body temperature to environment• Can not get rabies

• Two types of Rabies:• Dumb or Paralytic• Furious

Facts• Rabies is caused by a: VIRUS• Rabies is transmitted by the animals: SALIVA

• Two areas of an animal we do not want to touch are:

• Mouth-Salivary glands-saliva• Nerve Tissue-brain and spinal cord

• Nocturnal means-active at night.

Most Common Rabid Animal in NYS

• Raccoons-166• Bat-98• Skunk-45• Cats-25• Foxes-23• Cattle-5

• Reptiles (such as lizards and snakes), amphibians (like frogs), birds, fish and insects do not get or carry rabies.

• Some animals almost never get rabies. These include rabbits and small rodents such as squirrels, chipmunks, rats, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters.

Most Common Animal in Catt. Co. for Rabies are:

• 1. Raccoon

• 2. Bat

• 3. Cat/Skunk• 4. Skunk/Cat• 5. Foxes• Tested: 91-2014

Animal Changes in Behavior/Temperament

These are often the first symptoms to appear.

Infected animals may become:• Aggressive• Irritable, or tame • May lose their sense of fear from humans/natural

enemies 

  Beware of normally nocturnal animals which are out during the day.

Animal/Human Neurological Problems

Destroys the nervous tissue

This may include: • Staggering• Convulsions • Seizure-like symptoms • Paralysis• May make unusual sounds• Difficulty Breathing/Swallowing – In the later stages of the disease, the

animal exhibit difficulty swallowing, choking, and the well known “frothing of the mouth.”

Human Symptoms20-60 days (3-7 weeks) (years?)

• Low-grade fever (102 degrees F or lower) • Pain at the site of the bite • Exaggerated sensation at the bite site • Swallowing difficulty (drinking produces spasms of the larynx) or

swallowing difficulty with liquids only • Restlessness• Excitability • Muscle spasms• Convulsions• Numbness and tingling• Loss of muscle function • Loss of feeling in an area of the body • Drooling• Anxiety, stress, and tension• Positive Babinski's reflex

Babinski's Reflex

Definition:• Babinski's reflex occurs when the great toe flexes toward the top of the

foot and the other toes fan out after the sole of the foot has been firmly stroked. This is normal in younger children, but abnormal after the age of 2.

Overview & Considerations:

• Reflexes are specific, predictable, involuntary responses to a particular type of stimulation.

• In people more than 2 years old, the presence of a Babinski's reflex indicates damage to the nerve paths connecting the spinal cord and the brain (the corticospinal tract).

• Because this tract is right-sided and left-sided, a Babinski's reflex can occur on one side or on both sides.

An abnormal Babinski's reflex can be temporary or permanent.

Bat Rabies• Bats present special problems as far as determining rabies exposure.  • Bats have very small and razor sharp teeth, people are not always aware that

they have been bitten.  • Complicating the problem, it is common for residents to have bats enter their

home through attic spaces, holes in flashing and other unanticipated entry points. 

• When a bat gains access to sleeping quarters, it is possible that a sleeping person, or any people not capable of communicating that they were bitten (infants, etc.), may be exposed to rabies without their knowledge. 

• Therefore it is important to capture any bats that are discovered inside the home so that they may be tested for the presence of the rabies virus. 

• Recent human rabies deaths in the US were attributed to unreported bat bites.• If you find a bat in your home, capture it and notify us so that we can make

testing arrangements.  • Captured bats should be placed in a freezer if they are found on a weekend or

holiday.  • For instruction on how to capture a bat in your home, please see the video below, produced by the

NYS Department of Health. http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/zoonoses/rabies/

Treatments For Us:4 doses (1-RIG shot and1st day HDCV), (1,3 ,7,14 HDCV)

• A person who is exposed and has never been vaccinated against rabies should get 4 doses of rabies vaccine - one dose right away:

• on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th days=4 doses

(5 shots) (RIG+HDCV on first day).• A person who has been previously vaccinated

should get 2 doses of rabies vaccine - one right away and another on the 3rd day. Rabies Immune Globulin is not needed.

Three cell culture rabies vaccines are licensed in the United States

• Human Diploid Cell Vaccine (HDCV, Imovax® Rabies)

• (PCECVRabAvert®, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics) sanofi pasteur), purified chick embryo cell vaccine• Only HDCV and PCECV are available for use in the

United States ______________________________________________Not used in the US• Rabies vaccine adsorbed (RVA, Bioport Corporation).

Observation of the animal that did the biting or scratching is necessary. 

A domestic animal (dog, cat, ferret & some farm animals) that are capable of transmitting rabies is always in the final stages of the disease and will die shortly afterwards. 

For these animals, this time frame is less than ten days. 

Therefore, when a person is bitten or scratched, you can be certain that the animal was not capable of transmitting rabies as long as the animal is still alive and healthy ten days after the incident. http://www.cattco.org/environmental-health/rabies-prevention

Human Rabies VaccinationVaccination After an Exposure

Anyone who has been bitten by an animal, or who otherwise may have been exposed to rabies, should clean the wound and see a doctor immediately.

• The doctor will determine if they need to be vaccinated.

• A person who is exposed and has never been vaccinated against rabies should get 4 doses of rabies vaccine - one dose right away, and additional doses on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th days.

• They should also get another shot called Rabies Immune Globulin at the same time as the first dose.

A person who has been previously vaccinated should get:• 2 doses of rabies vaccine - one right away and another on the 3rd day

Rabies Immune Globulin is not needed.

To be Pre-VaccinatedEx: Veterinarians, Animal handlers

Rabies laboratory workers

• The pre-exposure schedule for rabies vaccination is

• 3 doses, given at the following times:• Dose 1: As appropriate• Dose 2: 7 days after Dose 1• Dose 3: 21 days or 28 days after Dose 1

Prevent From Getting Rabies

• Do not pet strange animals’• Vaccinate Pets:• Dogs, cats and ferrets may all receive

vaccinations after 12 weeks of age. Booster-1yr• After one year-Booster shot every 3 years• Do not touch/feed wild animals• Do not keep wild animals as pets• Do not let pets roam • Bat proof home

First Aid for Rabies

• Report: State Law• Wash wound with soap and water• Capture or detain animal-if possible

• Get shots-if needed

Rabies vaccination is required in NYS in order to license your dogs. 

It is a violation of the Sanitary Code of the Cattaraugus County Health District to harbor or possess a dog, cat or ferret without a current vaccination. 

It is your legal responsibility to ensure that all of your dogs, cats, or ferrets are vaccinated

http://www.cattco.org/environmental-health/rabies-prevention

NYS Animal Law

RABIES 2014http://www.wadsworth.org/rabies/AnnualSummaries/2014/2014_Rabies_report_for_web.pdf

Inserts from the above site-You can go to site and look yourself!

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