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World Rabies Day

World Rabies Day


               September 28th is World Rabies Day, a day to bring awareness to one of the world’s deadliest diseases.  Cases of rabies in humans are infrequent in the United States with only about one to three cases per year, and survival is more likely today especially if treated swiftly.  However, about 59,000 people die from rabies each year in other parts of the world, especially in Africa and Asia.  Despite human cases of rabies infection in the U.S., hundreds of thousands of animals need to be placed under observation or be tested for rabies each year, and between 30,000 to 60,000 people need to receive rabies postexposure prophylaxis due to exposure to the virus.

               Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system causing symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, excess salivation, fever, confusion, staggering, and aggression.  Rabies is found in the saliva and infection most commonly occurs through a bite wound. All mammals can potentially be infected but the most commonly affected wild animals include bats, skunks, raccoons, fox and coyotes.  Domestic animals are also at risk, including dogs, cats, ferrets, horses, cattle and sheep.  Animals such as birds, reptiles and amphibians are not affected by rabies.  Infection is highly fatal, especially once symptoms appear.

               In Pennsylvania, a total of 193 cases of rabies were reported so far in 2022.  There were no dogs affected but cats are the most commonly affected domestic animals with 37 cases.  There have been two rabies positive cats in York County, two in Adams and one in Lancaster.  Of wild animals, raccoons had the highest incidence of rabies with 71 cases across Pennsylvania, followed by 52 bats. 

               Effective vaccines are available for dogs, cats and ferrets as well as livestock and should be administered by a licensed veterinarian every one to three years for the life of the pet.  Rabies is required by PA state law and owners of unvaccinated pets may be fined up to $300.

It is so important to have your pets vaccinated regularly against rabies not only to prevent infection in our companion animals but also in ourselves.  Please have your pets vaccinated to protect against rabies.  If you suspect your pet has been bitten by a wild animal, or especially if bitten by an animal displaying unusual symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately and have the wild animal tested for rabies if possible.  If your pet is not up to date on rabies vaccination, he or she may need to be quarantined in your home for 10 days or up to 180 days depending on the situation.  If you are bitten by or have exposure to a wild animal or are bitten by a cat or dog of unknown rabies status, seek medical attention immediately. 

Help prevent rabies by properly vaccinating pets and livestock, limiting pets from roaming free, preventing attraction of wildlife by not leaving garbage or food outside and by bat-proofing your home, never approaching or handling wildlife and reporting any wild animals that are acting strangely to the animal control officer.

               Rabies is a completely preventable disease with proper vaccination.  This blog brought to you by the Patton Veterinary Hospital serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding communities.

https://www.avma.org/resources/public-health/rabies-and-your-pet

https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Animals/AHDServices/diseases/Pages/Rabies.aspx

https://www.cdc.gov/worldrabiesday/index.html

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