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Rabies Season

 
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Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Sat Jul 09, 16 5:58 pm    Post subject: Rabies Season Reply with quote
    

It's rabies season again and it looks like this summer will be more serious than usual - though not like non-vaccinate places like Africa and India.

A dead feral cat was found about a week ago here in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Tested, found rabid. A couple of days ago, another rabid feral cat. Rabid raccoon.

A rabid woodchuck attacked a family's pet potbellied pig. Pig is in quarantine, family has had post-exposure treatment. https://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2016/07/rabid_animals_reported_in_old_bridge_spotswood.html

BTW - the only way to test is to kill the animal and examine the brain. Quarantine is possible but doubt it is employed for wild / feral animals.

It is mandated that pet dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies. My indoor only cats are vaccinated, using the Pure-Vax good-for-three-years vaccine. Livestock should also receive rabies vaccine.

There is an oral vaccine Raboral-VG, https://www.raboral.com/Pages/index.aspx, suitable for raccoons, gray fox, and coyotes. None for feral cats and skunks.

Not good.

sean
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Sat Jul 09, 16 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Uggh. Hope it doesn't touch you and yours.

frewen



Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

PostPosted: Sat Jul 09, 16 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sounds nasty

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Jul 09, 16 10:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

stay safe,tis a horrid virus.

although we don’t seem to have much of a problem with the strain endemic elsewhere which can infect quite a variety of mammals we do have a pool of a rabies type virus among the bat population .

as our bats are insect hunters it is only those who handle them for conservation /scientific reasons or are daft enough to pick up a poorly one they find somewhere without stout gloves seem to be at risk.
there have been fatalities to bat handlers.

animals which travel to or come back from abroad need to be immunised but the uk has been a "rabies free zone" for about a century and has only fairly recently accepted immunisation as ok rather than a compulsory 6 mt quarantine for any potential carrier coming into the uk.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 16 12:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rabies can be prevented. It cannot be cured.

More than you probably wanted to know about rabies: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/220967-overview

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 16 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

dpack wrote:
stay safe,tis a horrid virus.

although we don’t seem to have much of a problem with the strain endemic elsewhere which can infect quite a variety of mammals we do have a pool of a rabies type virus among the bat population .

as our bats are insect hunters it is only those who handle them for conservation /scientific reasons or are daft enough to pick up a poorly one they find somewhere without stout gloves seem to be at risk.
there have been fatalities to bat handlers.

animals which travel to or come back from abroad need to be immunised but the uk has been a "rabies free zone" for about a century and has only fairly recently accepted immunisation as ok rather than a compulsory 6 mt quarantine for any potential carrier coming into the uk.


Only one fatality in the UK according to the Bat Conservation Trust, and only one in Europe, as far as I know.

The rabies-type virus has only been found in UK in one species (which was the species that bit the bat-handler in UK).

Most of the British species are not strong enough to pierce human skin. I have been nipped by several small bats and they didn't draw blood. One of the bigger species did give me a hard bite (my fault, I overstepped its comfort zone whilst handling it) and I'm still here.

However, if you should be bitten by a bat, wash the bite thoroughly and consult your GP. Keep the bat.

I realise the situation in other parts of the world is very different with regard to animal bites.

Henry

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