Arkansas | Rabid skunk confirmed in Boone County – Third case in 22 days
Little Rock | 21 Feb 2012
According to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), a third skunk has been confirmed rabid this week in Boone County. Three skunks and one bull have been confirmed with rabies in Boone County so far this year. Statewide, ADH has recorded 10 rabid skunks and one bull in the same period.
Susan Weinstein, DVM, Arkansas Public Health veterinarian, said, “We are concerned about the dogs, cats and livestock that go unvaccinated year after year. In this case, the exposed dogs will have to be quarantined for six months to be certain they do not develop the disease.”
Of the 11 dogs exposed already this year, only one has been vaccinated against rabies. Last year 90 dogs were exposed to rabies, and nearly three-fourths of them had not been vaccinated. Of the 18 cats exposed last year, none were current on their vaccinations.
“When we find a skunk with rabies in a local area, there are usually more rabid skunks in the wild that will never be discovered,” Weinstein said. “That puts the local animal population at risk, especially dogs, cats and livestock.”
“We do a much better job of protecting indoor pets than we do the yard dogs and barn cats,” Weinstein said. “But those outside pets are the ones at more risk of encountering a rabid animal.” Vaccinating the outside animals helps create a barrier between rabies in wildlife and people. Dr. Weinstein urged all animal owners to make sure their pets and livestock have been protected by proper vaccination by a licensed veterinarian. It is state law that all dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian.
Rabies is a virus that attacks the brain and spinal cord and is a fatal disease. It is most often seen in animals such as skunks, bats and foxes. Cats, dogs, ferrets and livestock can also develop rabies, especially if they are not vaccinated. In 2011, Arkansas had 60 rabies positive animals, including 53 skunks, six bats and one cat. Each year the Arkansas Public Health Laboratory tests 850 to 1,000 animals for rabies and averages 35 to 40 positive cases. The rabies virus lives in the saliva (spit) and nervous tissues of infected animals and is spread when they bite or scratch. The virus also may be spread if saliva from an infected animal touches broken skin, open wounds or the lining of the mouth, eyes or nose.
If an apparently healthy domesticated dog or cat bites a person, it must be captured, confined and observed daily for 10 days following the bite. If the animal remains healthy during this period of time, it did not transmit rabies at the time of the bite. Since there are no known time intervals for the length of infectivity in other animals, the brain tissue of all wild animals must be tested for rabies if human exposure has occurred.
What can you do to protect yourselves against rabies?
- Be sure your dogs, cats and ferrets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations
- Do not feed, touch or adopt wild animals
- Keep family pets indoors at night
- Bat-proof your home or summer camp in the fall or winter (The majority of human rabies cases are caused by bat bites.)
- Encourage children to immediately tell an adult if any animal bites them
- Teach children to avoid wildlife, strays and all other animals they do not know well
Report all animal bites or contact with wild animals to the local health unit. Do not let any animal escape that has possibly exposed someone to rabies. Depending on the species, an animal can be observed or tested for rabies in order to avoid the need for rabies treatment.
Arkansas | Rabid skunk and bull confirmed in Boone County
Little Rock | 14 Feb 2012
The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has confirmed that a bull has died this week of rabies near Everton in Boone County.
Rabies in Arkansas is most often found in skunks. Reports of cattle being infected with rabies are relatively rare – the last time was a cow in Hempstead County in 2007. A rabid skunk was discovered in January on property adjacent to the farm on which the rabid bull became ill and died, but it is not known whether the two occurrences are linked. So far this year, ADH has recorded seven rabid skunks statewide in addition to the bull in Boone County.
Susan Weinstein, DVM, Arkansas Public Health veterinarian, said that the presence of rabies in one animal in the area is a warning sign.
“What we know is that when we find a skunk with rabies in a local area, there are usually more rabid skunks in the wild that will never be discovered,” Weinstein said. “That puts the local animal population at risk, especially dogs, cats and livestock.”
Rabies is a virus that attacks the brain and spinal cord and is a fatal disease. It is most often seen in animals such as skunks, bats and foxes. Cats, dogs, ferrets and livestock can also develop rabies, especially if they are not vaccinated. In 2011, Arkansas had 60 rabies positive animals, including 53 skunks, six bats and one cat. Each year the Arkansas Public Health Laboratory tests 850 to 1000 animals for rabies, and averages 35 to 40 positive cases.
The rabies virus lives in the saliva (spit) and nervous tissues of infected animals and is spread when they bite or scratch. The virus also may be spread if saliva from an infected animal touches broken skin, open wounds or the lining of the mouth, eyes or nose.
The first sign of rabies in an animal is usually a change in behavior. Rabid animals may attack people or other animals for no reason, or they may lose their fear of people and seem unnaturally friendly. Staggering, convulsions, choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis are often present. Skunks may be seen out in daylight, which is an unusual behavior for them, or they may get into a dog pen or under a house. Many animals have a marked change in voice pitch, such as a muted or off-key tone. Cattle often show slobbering, a huge change in their behavior, a persistent bellowing and get may excited easily. An animal usually dies within one week of demonstrating signs of rabies. Not all rabid animals act in these ways, however, so you should avoid all wild animals – especially skunks, bats and stray cats and dogs.
If you think you have become exposed to an animal with rabies, wash your wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. Contact your physician and county health unit immediately and report the incident. The animal in question should be captured, if possible, without damaging its head or risking further exposure.
All dogs and cats in Arkansas are required to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. This not only protects the animal, but also acts as a barrier between the wildlife exposures of rabies and people, as our pets are more likely to be exposed to a rabid skunk directly than we are. Horses and livestock also should be vaccinated against rabies. Children especially should be reminded not to touch wild animals and to stay away from stray pets.
If an apparently healthy domesticated dog or cat bites a person, it must be captured, confined and observed daily for 10 days following the bite. If the animal remains healthy during this period of time, it did not transmit rabies at the time of the bite. Since there are no known time intervals for the length of infectivity in other animals, the brain tissue of all wild animals must be tested for rabies if human exposure has occurred.
What can you do to protect yourselves against rabies?
- Be sure your dogs, cats and ferrets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations
- Do not feed, touch or adopt wild animals
- Keep family pets indoors at night
- Bat-proof your home or summer camp in the fall or winter (The majority of human rabies cases are caused by bat bites.)
- Encourage children to immediately tell an adult if any animal bites them
- Teach children to avoid wildlife, strays and all other animals they do not know well
Report all animal bites or contact with wild animals to the local health unit. Do not let any animal escape that has possibly exposed someone to rabies. Depending on the species, an animal can be observed or tested for rabies in order to avoid the need for rabies treatment.
Arkansas | Severe flooding affecting the Little Rock region
Little Rock AR | Extreme flooding in the Metro Little Rock area. Several counties remain under a flood warning. State police reporting MVCs and rescues in several areas. Many Bryant schools just west of LR are inaccessible and buses are not running. Same in Lonoke, east of LR. Several thousand without power.
Arkansas | Mass flu vax clinics completed – 70,000+ doses administered
Little Rock AR | This year’s Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) mass flu vaccination clinics have ended after providing 70,815 doses of vaccine in 98 clinics statewide in all 75 counties, with support from community volunteers.
Officials stress that it is not too late to get a flu vaccine, however. There is plenty of vaccine available at local health units in each county, as well as at pharmacies and doctor’s offices around the state.
“We have given approximately 209,395 total doses by now, when you include the clinics we hold in the schools,” James Phillips, MD, Infectious Disease branch chief, said. “The school total is about 138,580 at last report, but we still have clinics scheduled from now to the middle of December, and we will probably add a few more doses to the total number for the mass vaccination clinics as final reports are completed.”
Last year, ADH mass vaccination clinics gave 80,087 doses, and 162,537 doses were provided at over 1,100 school clinics for a total of 242,624 doses. This does not include doses administered by retailers, pharmacies, physicians’ offices and most other clinics in the state.
Phillips said that now is the best time to get vaccinated if you haven’t been yet.
“We usually see a surge in influenza cases beginning in mid-December,” Phillips said. “It will take about two weeks for the vaccine to build immunity in your body, and sometimes as much as six weeks before you are fully-protected, so now is the time.”
Influenza is a viral infection affecting the respiratory system, sometimes with very serious side effects, especially for certain groups of people who cannot get vaccine or do not generate as much immunity from taking the vaccine. Infants less than six months old cannot get vaccine, and some older people or others with compromised immune systems typically do not respond with as much immunity as those who are young and healthy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and (CDC), influenza activity is still not widespread in most of the United States, but will soon begin to show up according to the flu’s regular seasonal pattern. As of November 17, 2011, there were four laboratory confirmed cases of flu in Arkansas.
“With the ADH statewide vaccination effort and the effort of medical professionals in pharmacies, physicians’ offices and hospitals, we know that many Arkansans have received protection by now, and will be protected for the holiday season,” Phillips said.
Although influenza activity can rise and fall during an influenza season, activity in the United States generally peaks in January or later in most years. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent flu. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older be vaccinated, even if they had seasonal vaccine last season. Flu vaccine can protect you from influenza illness and can be life-saving for those who are pregnant or have asthma or diabetes – all of whom are predisposed to developing serious flu complications.
Phillips, said, “We know that we will begin to see more disease in our state soon. Many folks that get the flu don’t see a doctor, and people can have the flu and spread the infection before showing any symptoms. The time to get a flu shot is now, before you get sick.”
For more information about influenza and the importance of flu shots, visit www.healthy.arkansas.gov or call your local county health unit.