The Alabama Department of Public Health reported that a cat in Russell County had actually contracted rabies. That cat exposed 4 member of the family from Hurtsboro to the fatal health problem and 11 team member at an Opelika veterinary hospital.
In another occurrence, a lab validated that a Lee County raccoon had rabies, exposing a single person.
The most typical alternative discovered in domestic animals is the raccoon version. Rabies infections in raccoons prevail in some locations of Alabama, consisting of Russell and Lee counties. Raccoons regularly go to houses and plantations to forage in the trash or to consume pet food neglected for the family pets. Raccoons are smart and can quickly be trained to go back to a yard for food. Some individuals have even unlawfully made them into family pets. Do refrain from doing that. Raccoons are extremely prone to rabies, and their way of life and diet plan imply that if rabies remains in their forest, they will likely end up being exposed to it.
Dr. Dee Jones is the State Public Health Veterinarian.
“Vaccinating your animals against rabies is the best way to keep your pets protected from the deadly virus,” Dr. Jones said. “Animal vaccinations also help protect people, who many times are exposed when the animal first becomes sick and before rabies can be confirmed, just as with this recent case in a cat.”
The cat in concern was a roaming cat that assaulted the owner’s dog. The family was exposed at that time. Wisely on their part, the cat was then provided to the regional veterinary healthcare facility, where it was positioned in quarantine.
The cat died and tested positive for rabies on Friday, August 11.
One individual in the center was bitten by the wild cat, and 10 were exposed indirectly.
All fifteen exposed individuals were sent to East Alabama Medical Center for post-exposure prophylactic treatment for rabies and had actually been dealt with since the night of August 11.
Dr. Homer S. Bruce is the Lee County rabies officer.
“The key here is that all of the owner’s pets had received a previous rabies vaccination, and all have received rabies booster vaccinations post-exposure,” Dr. Bruce said. “Rabies vaccinations are so important in protecting your pets from rabies and thereby protecting humans from exposure through their pets.”
Alabama law needs all dogs, cats, and ferrets to be immunized at 3 months of age and each year after that unless they receive a 3-year rabies vaccine.
The very first rabies vaccination is just helpful for one year, no matter which vaccine an animal gets.
Rabies avoidance is complex. It includes taking safety measures with wildlife, guaranteeing their family pets are existing on rabies vaccinations, and constantly reporting an animal bite or other direct exposures to their medical company and the Alabama Department of Public Health.
In addition to vaccination, location locals are encouraged to take the following safety measures to prevent possible direct exposures to rabies:
* Do not permit family pets to run loose, restrict within a fenced-in location or with a leash.
* Do not leave leftover animal food or scraps near your residence.
* Do not unlawfully feed or keep wildlife as family pets.
* Do not go near wildlife or domestic animals that are acting in a weird or uncommon way.
* Caution kids not to go near any roaming or wild animal, no matter its habits.
“I ask everyone to please check their pet’s rabies vaccination status and to get them boosted immediately if they are not up to date,” Dr. Bruce said. “Lastly, stray animals hanging around your property can expose you, your children, your pets, and your livestock to rabies. Please contact your local animal control agency for assistance with stray animals on your property. As always, please be ever vigilant and aware of wild animals hanging around and or acting out of place on your property.”
Rabies is endemic in the state of Alabama. The raccoon and bat variations of the illness are discovered here. Do not deal with either raccoons or bats. Each year, Alabama takes part in an Oral Rabies Vaccine (ORV) Program to manage the spread of rabies in wildlife. That specifically targets raccoons.
Contact your vet if you cannot identify your animal’s vaccination status.
Please call (334) 745-0060 if you have concerns about rabies.
Contact your vet if you cannot identify your animal’s vaccination status.
For more details, go to the Alabama Public Health website.
To get in touch with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
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