By Hillary Frank, DVM, ABVP (Avian)
Arizona set another state record for the number of rabies cases last year. Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system and is usually spread through bites from infected animals. It is always fatal in humans once symptoms appear, but treatment right after exposure prevents death. There is no treatment for unvaccinated pets, and if bitten by a potentially rabid animal, euthanasia may be required.
As of August this year, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, nine people and 65 domestic animals have been exposed to lab-confirmed rabies positive animals.
It is estimated that every year 30,000-40,000 U.S. residents are potentially exposed to rabies, which results in a month-long series of injections.
In the Phoenix area, bats are the most common source of rabies exposures to humans because rabid bats often fall to the ground where they are easily accessible to people and pets in neighborhoods and at schools.
In 2006, the global Alliance for Rabies Control created the World Rabies Day initiative. This year it is on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The goal is to raise awareness about the impact of human and animal rabies, how easy it is to prevent it, and how to eliminate the main global sources. Several vaccine manufacturers provide a one-for-one free rabies vaccination in needy areas of the world for each one purchased in the United States.
Rabies prevention starts with the pet owner. Vaccinate dogs, cats, ferrets, and any other animal that has regular contact with humans, such as horses. Some common pets can’t be vaccinated because no vaccine exists for those species. The law in Arizona requires that all dogs over the age of 3 months have a license and rabies vaccination. Cats are not legally required to be vaccinated, but are more likely to come in contact with sick wildlife, such as bats flapping on the ground. All bite or contact exposures to bats or other wild animals or domestic mammals (except for rodents and rabbits) should be reported immediately to local animal control or health officials.
Foxes, bats, and skunks are the most common wildlife to become rabid. Do not pick up or handle a sick or dead bat. Keep your pets vaccinated and avoid contact with wild animals. For more information visit NorthCentralAnimal Hospital.com, CDC.gov/rabies, and WorldRabiesDay.org or by calling your local health department or the ADHS Vector-Borne & Zoonotic Disease Section at 602-364-4562.
Hillary Frank, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Avian) is the owner of North Central Animal Hospital, P.C., 20 W. Dunlap Ave. She can be reached at 602-395-9773. The information in “Pet Primer” is provided as general information only. For specific advice on your pet’s health, consult your veterinarian.
