THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 7, 1996 TAG: 9608070493
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 56 lines
Health officials cautioned residents to vaccinate their pets and avoid wild animals after the discovery of a rabid raccoon in Chesapeake.
The raccoon was caught July 28 near the home of a Bowers Hill woman, who noticed it was acting strangely. Because the woman touched only its tail and was not exposed to its blood or saliva, she will not likely undergo treatments, which would have meant five shots in the arm over 28 days, said Nancy M. Welch, director of the Chesapeake Health Department.
``Pretty much any animal can get rabies,'' Welch said. ``Raccoons are common, foxes and bats, too. People think the animals are cute, so they feed them, but we strongly discourage people from going near them.''
The raccoon marks the fourth confirmed case of rabies in Chesapeake this year and the 13th since 1988 - including two cats, one bat and 10 raccoons - Welch said, but no humans have contracted the disease in recent years.
Rabies has been confirmed in 74 animals out of 424 examined in Hampton Roads this year, according to Dwayne Merritt, public information coordinator for the Norfolk Department of Public Health.
Local veterinarian Virginia Vaughan said the best way to keep pets safe from rabies is to vaccinate them, even if they do not ordinarily go outside.
``I think people are a little bit lax about it,'' said Vaughan, a vet at the Veterinary Clinic of Chesapeake. ``The best way to avoid heartache is to vaccinate.''
Vaughan said puppies and kittens can receive their first shot at 12 weeks, but they need another vaccination in a year. After that, pets, by law, need to be vaccinated every three years.
She suggests keeping the vaccination records handy in case the pet bites a visitor or leaves the home. The only way to diagnose rabies is to kill the animal and examine its brain, she said.
Symptoms of rabies change in animals as the disease progresses, and at different times they may become friendly and lose their fear of people or become agitated and aggressive. They may salivate or drool because they have trouble swallowing, use a high-pitched voice, experience seizures or appear to be injured.
The Chesapeake Heath Department recommends:
Keeping pets confined to home or yard;
Regularly vaccinating pets (many domestic animals can be vaccinated);
Clearing food from yards that could attract wildlife;
Avoiding contact with stray animals or wildlife;
Warning children to report any animal bites or scratches;
Reporting stray or unvaccinated animals to 487-2212 in Chesapeake, 664-7387 in Norfolk, 393-8876 in Portsmouth, 925-6416 in Suffolk or 427-4158 in Virginia Beach. MEMO: For more information, tune into WNIS radio between 7 a.m. and 7:30
a.m. today, when F.J. Bolshazy, Norfolk's rabies prevention coordinator,
is scheduled to discuss the latest rabies case and advise residents of
precautions.
KEYWORDS: RABIES by CNB