For Immediate Release:
September 19, 2006

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Increase in Animal Rabies Cases Prompts Statewide Public Health Advisory

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) this week released a public health advisory for rabies in Missouri. An unusually high percentage of rabid animals have been detected so far this year in Missouri, including three domestic animals. This prompted DHSS to notify public health officials, medical health care providers and veterinary professionals across the state.

This year five counties have been placed on rabies alert, four of them since July. They include Callaway, Pulaski, Cole and Jackson counties. Barton County was under alert from February to May because of a rabid cow.

A horse from Pulaski County that had been taken to a show in Tennessee on August 20 was diagnosed with rabies by a laboratory in Tennessee on September 7. A horse from Calloway County tested positive for rabies on September 9 at the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory.  Testing performed on brain tissue collected from both horses and sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the animals acquired rabies from the bites of two different species of infected bats. However, a different species of bat was involved in each incident. Approximately 40 persons are receiving anti-rabies vaccinations as a result of potential exposures to these horses. Cole and Jackson counties were placed on alert (July and August, respectively) because of increased percentages of bats testing positive for rabies.

In 2005, a total of 73 rabid animals were detected, including 54 bats, 17 skunks, one dog, and one horse. Missouri has averaged 42.5 rabid animals per year over the past ten years, primarily involving bats and skunks, but also including domestic species such as cats, dogs, cattle, horses, and one goat. Statewide so far this year, a total of 54 rabid animals have been detected, including 44 bats, seven skunks, two horses, and one cow. 

“Veterinarians, medical providers, and public health officials should be alert to potential cases of animal rabies, and possible human exposures, in their area and know how to respond appropriately,” said Dr. Howard Pue, state public health veterinarian. “We need everyone in the public health, medical, and veterinary communities to be aware of this and ready to respond to potential rabies cases in their area.”

Rabies is a disease of mammals and is transmitted primarily through bites. Over 90 percent of reported rabies cases are wild animals commonly seen in neighborhoods and backyards, such as bats, skunks, and foxes. Vaccinated pets are the barrier between those animals and loved ones and public health experts want pet owners to know that by protecting their pets they also are protecting their loved ones.
 
“The most important thing people can do to protect themselves, their family, and their pets from the threat of rabies is to have their pets vaccinated,” said Pue. “Because pets are more likely than people to be exposed to a rabid animal, vaccinated pets serve as an effective, protective barrier between people and rabies. So it is vitally important, now more than ever, for pet owners to have their pets vaccinated for rabies. Pet owners need to understand how close the threat of rabies is to their families; it’s often as close as the skunk that walked through the back yard.”

Pue said that it is also important for children to be reminded not to touch or try to play with any wild animals and to stay away from stray domestic animals, especially if they are behaving as if they are wounded or ill. Pet owners should also keep a close eye on their pets, especially those that are let outside without supervision for any length of time. Pet owners should contact a veterinarian immediately if a pet has been bitten or directly exposed to a wild animal or stray domestic animal, or if the pet’s health or behavior changes without other explanation. Pue added that, when in doubt, have the pet examined by a veterinarian.

Anyone who has been bitten by an animal, particularly a stray dog or cat or a wild animal, should wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes. If possible, and without further injury, try to capture or confine the biting animal so that it can be quarantined or tested for rabies (depending upon the species of biting animal). If the animal is destroyed, avoid damaging the head since the brain is the only specimen that can be tested for the presence of the rabies virus. Persons should contact their physician to see if medical care (antibiotics, tetanus booster, etc.) is needed, and to have a rabies risk assessment made. They should also contact their local health department to seek assistance in obtaining proper disposition of the biting animal. Because rabies is transmitted to people from animals, and because the animal test for rabies requires brain tissue samples, the animal must always be euthanized and the brain harvested for testing.

Following are tips from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for rabies prevention.

Community Prevention

• Ensure dogs, cats, and ferrets are up-to-date on rabies vaccinations.  Vaccinations are also available for horses, cattle, and sheep. The effectiveness of animal vaccines is the main reason for the nationwide decline in rabies cases among people and domestic animals.
• Keep pets under control; do not allow them to run loose.
• Avoid contact with stray pets and wild animals; do not keep wild animals or wild animal crosses as pets.
• Report wild animals exhibiting unusual behavior or stray pets to animal control officials.

Tips for Children
Children suffer a disproportionate number of bites from animals, often resulting in serious injury to the face, head, and neck. The following tips can help children avoid being bitten, and the resulting physical/mental trauma and potential exposure to rabies and other diseases that accompany bites: 

• Never touch unfamiliar or wild animals. Enjoy wild animals from afar.
• Avoid direct contact with stray animals.  Stray cats and dogs may not have been vaccinated against rabies.
• Never adopt wild animals or bring them into the home.
• Do not try to nurse sick animals to health.  It is common to want to rescue and nurse a hurt wild animal, but that animal may have rabies.  Ask an adult to call an animal control officer or animal rescue group for help with the sick animal.
• Make sure that trash cans and pet foods are secured so that they do not attract wild animals.
• Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• If bitten, report the bite to an adult immediately.

Information pertaining to rabies can be found on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Rabies