Two cases of rabies confirmed in valley
From our weekly issue dated February 10, 2010
Oregon Public Health officials are warning people to protect themselves and their pets from rabies after finding a rabid goat and a fox in Illinois Valley.
Oregon State University, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the diagnosis of rabies in the two animals. The goat died of exposure to a bat strain of rabies. The fox is currently being tested to confirm the strain source.
The two rabid animals were located on the same Westside Road property south of Cave Junction.
There are several strains or “source types“ of rabies in the United States such as skunk, fox or bat strains. This is important because bat strain rabies occurs nationally. But the other strains of rabies, including those occurring in terrestrial or land-based mammals, do not occur in Oregon.
“People can take two precautions to protect themselves and their pets from bats and rabies,“ said Dr. Emilio DeBess, public health veterinarian at the Oregon Public Health Division. “Never handle bats; and make sure your cats, dogs and other domestic animals are up to date on their rabies vaccines.
“Bats play an important role in the ecosystem, especially in controlling insects; but unfortunately, bats can carry rabies. And, only about half the bat species in Oregon hibernate in winter.“
Rabies is an infectious viral disease that affects the nervous system and is almost always caused by exposure to a rabid animal. Exposure is usually through a bite, but can also occur through infected saliva contacting wounds from scratches.
It is almost always fatal once symptoms begin.
Not all bats carry rabies, and in fact, only a small percentage are infected in Oregon and nationally. Of the sick and dead bats tested in Oregon during the past 10 years, some 9.5 percent have had rabies. Any mammal in Oregon can be infected with rabies from bats.
“Vaccinating pets against rabies protects them and provides a buffer zone between humans and wild animals that may have rabies,“ said Belle Shepherd, Josephine County Public Health director.
“Sadly,“ she said, “if a pet is unvaccinated and is exposed to a known rabid wild animal, the recommendation is that it be euthanized.“
Shepherd added that there is always a concern when animals are behaving “abnormally“ — a normally nocturnal animal found active in the daytime, for instance, or exhibiting “crazy behavior.“
The Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife with the Oregon Public Health Division also are being vigilant about tracking the movement of terrestrial rabies from Northern California which has reported rabies in wild animals such as foxes and raccoons during the past two years. This strain of “terrestrial“ rabies has not been detected in Oregon.
Nationally, twice as many cats as dogs are reported to have rabies each year, underscoring the need for better vaccination coverage among cats, said DeBess. Since bats occasionally gain access to the interior of homes, it can be a good idea to vaccinate indoor cats too.
Human rabies is rare in the United States with two to six cases per year. But animal bites are very common and, as a result, thousands of people receive rabies post-exposure vaccinations each year, underscoring the importance of education and prevention. Medical therapy for someone who has been exposed to rabies averages more than $3,000.
For more information on Rabies in Oregon visit oregon.gov/DHS/ph/acd/diseases/rabies/facts.shtml.
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