Informational indications about rabies were published just recently on Warren Avenue in Gardiner after health authorities identified the infection in a kitten in Gardiner and in a gray fox. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
GARDINER — Even as Maine’s public health firm is providing an advisory about bats and rabies, circumstances of the viral illness in other animals are being reported in main Maine.
On July 18, an unusual case of rabies was reported in a kitten in Gardiner, triggering authorities to publish an indication in the area of a recognized cat nest.
Cliff Daigle, animal control officer for numerous towns, consisting of West Gardiner, said a homeowner shot and killed a gray fox that later on checked positive for rabies.
Rabies is a viral illness that resides in the saliva, brain and spine of contaminated animals. While it can contaminate any animal with hair, rabies in Maine is usually discovered in raccoons, red foxes, gray foxes, skunks and bats.
Tegwin Taylor, a wildlife health biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, said an uptick in reported rabies cases takes place throughout summer season in Maine and throughout the United States since individuals and animals are active outdoors.
In addition to the cases in Gardiner and West Gardiner, the only report of a wild animal in Kennebec County was available in late March when rabies was discovered in a skunk in Augusta.
The case of a kitten with rabies in Gardiner is unusual, representing the just such case including cats up until now this year in Maine. Over the previous ten years, there have actually been simply 7 reported cases of rabies including cats in Maine, or 1.1% of 621 reported cases, according to state data.
In an advisory released in June, the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention said throughout the state, there were early indications of an active animal rabies season. Through the very first 5 months of 2023, 30 animals had actually checked positive for rabies. During the very same duration a year earlier, the overall was 11.
“We had a bunch of cases in February and March, but we had a fairly mild winter,” Taylor said, keeping in mind that reports have actually dropped off in the months that followed. “When we don’t have a big winter that kills off a lot of stuff, sometimes those viruses are maintained more easily than during a harsh winter.”
Over the previous years, the variety of reported rabies cases every year has actually varied from 30 to 90, she said, however the overall is frequently in between 60 and 70.
Many of the cases have actually been reported in Cumberland County, where the chance for interactions in between human beings and wildlife are higher since more individuals live there, Taylor said.
The state wildlife department maintains a page on its website with info on how to handle orphaned, ill or hurt wildlife, consisting of how to recognize ill animals and when to look for help. While it is regular habits for wildlife to circumnavigate, feed or hunt completely view — day or night — when individuals are around, it is not regular for animals to spin in circles, fall over, foam at the mouth or show aggressiveness towards individuals, domestic animals or other things.
In its advisory released recently, the Maine CDC kept in mind that since July 24, 6 bats had actually checked positive this year for rabies. Two cases were reported in Albany Township in Oxford County, and one case each was reported in Lewiston, Palmyra, Standish and Topsham.
Last year, the state CDC reported, bats comprised 45% of the 458 animals sent to the state lab for rabies screening. Of those, just 4 checked positive. The Maine CDC likewise preserves its own rabies webpage.
If direct exposure is believed, the Maine CDC recommends right away cleaning the bite or scratch with soap and warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, and calling a healthcare supplier.
If rabies is believed, a series of shots throughout a couple of weeks can be provided, starting within 10 days of the direct exposure. In numerous cases, the shots can wait till laboratory outcomes return on the checked animal, if it has actually been recorded.
Officials recommend attempting to record the bat — while using thick gloves, and if it can be done securely — and holding the animal in a closed container. The bat can be taken by an animal control officer or a video game warden to the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory. If the bat tests positive for rabies, a Maine CDC epidemiologist will follow up.
In basic, the very same safety suggestions use every year, Taylor said.
“People need to be aware of what’s happening around them. Give wildlife their space. And certainly vaccinate your pets,” she said. “That’s the primary way to prevent not only your pets but you from getting exposed.”
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