This September, the Buffalo Trace District Health Department is offering a fall rabies clinic to protect area residents’ pets and families against the fatal disease.
With deer season rapidly approaching, it is important to get pets vaccinated as they are likely to have increased risk of exposure to the disease most commonly carried by wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes, according to officials with the health department. This disease is transmittable to humans who have been bitten, scratched, or have come into contact with saliva or nervous tissue of an affected animal.
Rabies is a viral disease affecting the central nervous system typically transmitted by a bite (saliva) from an infected animal. The once common name for rabies was “hydrophobia” because victims appeared to be frightened of water. The disease can cause muscles, including throat muscles, to become paralyzed. Characteristic drooling and/or foaming at the mouth and aversion to water occur since swallowing saliva is not possible.
It is important to report all animal bites and other injuries to humans caused by animals to your local health department. In some areas animal control personnel will be involved in the investigation of the incident, including efforts to find the animal. The local health department environmentalist may recommend a quarantine for dogs, cats or ferrets, but for wild animals, immediate rabies testing will be necessary. Any physician or other attending medical service provider who treats or consults on an animal bite or scratch incident is required to make a report to the local health department within 12 hours.
Many countries have a much higher risk of rabies exposure than the United States. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabid dogs outside the U.S. are the second leading cause of rabies deaths in Americans, who are exposed during travel abroad. If you are traveling to a foreign country, consult your local health department about vaccination recommendations.
As much as 50 percent of human exposure to rabies is through a pet. Rabies is always fatal if not treated immediately. However, this disease is preventable through vaccination.
The upcoming clinic offers an inexpensive and effective way of combating the tragic disease, officials pointed out. Pet owners must bring an ID proving residence in Mason County or Robertson County and pay a $10 fee in order to receive their vaccine. Vaccines are available at Town and Country Veterinary Clinic and Colonial Heights Veterinary Clinic.
