THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180515
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 63 lines
Encounters between rabid raccoons and pets in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach led health officials Thursday to renew warnings about the local outbreak of the fatal disease.
This is especially true in Chesapeake, which has seen a surge in such cases in the wild animal population this year and expects the outbreak to continue.
``I definitely think we're on an upward trend,'' said Dr. Nancy M. Welch, director of the Chesapeake Health Department. ``I'm concerned about it being exposed to the people population.''
Health officials Wednesday announced two recent confirmed cases of rabies in raccoons:
In Chesapeake, a dog that confronted a raccoon on Saddleback Trail may have been exposed to the animal's saliva, which is one way the disease is transmitted. The area is near Great Bridge High School.
In Virginia Beach, a family dog found a raccoon stuck in a backyard fence in the Blackwater area. The dog had no bites but may have gotten saliva in its eyes or mouth.
In both cases, the dogs were given rabies vaccination booster shots. They will be quarantined at home for 90 days.
The Chesapeake case is the fifth this year, all involving rabid raccoons. Chesapeake had only one case - a cat - in 1995, said Welch.
She said the increase is significant, and, given the patterns the disease usually follows, the outbreak is likely to continue in the wild animal population.
The encounter in Virginia Beach, where rabies in wild animals has been a problem for several years, was the 10th this year - about the same number as last year at this time, said Valerie Reich of the Virginia Beach Health Department.
Health officials are worried that the disease could affect humans, who could get infected by unvaccinated pets. Authorities estimate that only a quarter of the dogs and cats in the United States have up-to-date rabies vaccinations.
Rabies is a neurological disease that is almost always fatal in humans if not treated quickly.
The disease is especially a concern during fall hunting season, Reich and Welch said. Hunting brings dogs and people into the woods, where they could find themselves tussling with a sick animal. Welch recommends that raccoon hunters get vaccinated before they head for the woods.
Many different animals can carry the disease. Any hunter handling an animal carcass should avoid contact with brain tissue, Reich said, because the virus that causes rabies infects the brain. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
RABIES SAFETY TIPS
Make sure your dogs and cats are up to date on their
vaccinations. Keep them confined to your home or yard.
Don't approach wild or stray animals.
Keep your yard free of food and debris that could attract
wildlife.
Report all animal bites or contact between pets and wild animals
to your city's animal control or health department.
Warn children to report any bites or scratches.
If you suspect you may have been exposed to rabies, ask your
doctor whether you need treatment. Injections to prevent rabies are
no longer given in the abdomen. by CNB