RABIES

PREFACE

June 20, 2009:
For the first time in an extremely long time, we have a confirmed case of a wild, rabid animal (a skunk) attacking and biting a person in our county, Hancock County, Tennessee. This resulted in exposing her to rabies. As the victim put it, "Rabies is real".
Click here to read the victim's entire letter

General Information:

Rabies is a fatal disease caused by a virus. All warm-blooded animals are susceptible. The disease is usually spread when an infected animal bites another animal or person. The bitten animal or person will not become infected, however, unless the saliva of the sick animal contains the rabies virus at the time of the bite. The bat, skunk, raccoon and fox are the most commonly infected wild animals. Dogs and cats are the most commonly infected domestic animals but horses, cattle, goats and sheep can also be affected.

IN HUMANS

Rabies has been recognized for over 4,000 years. Yet, despite great advances in diagnosing and preventing it, today rabies is almost always fatal in humans who contract it and do not receive treatment.

Rabies can be totally prevented. You must recognize the exposure and promptly get appropriate medical care before you develop the symptoms of rabies.

Where rabies is found: Human rabies is quite rare in the United States. Only 27 cases have been reported in people in the United States since 1990 (all but 1 person died). Yet in some areas of the world (for example, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America), human rabies is much more common. The incidence of rabies in people parallels the incidence in the animal kingdom. The great strides that have been made in controlling the disease in animals in the United States and in other developed countries is directly responsible for this decline in human rabies.

Although rabies in humans is very rare in the United States, between 16,000 and 39,000 people receive preventive medical treatment each year after being exposed to a potentially rabid animal.
Some regions of the country have more cases of rabies than others do.
Rabies in wildlife accounts for greater than 85% of animal rabies in the United States.

Animals that carry rabies: Raccoons are the most common wild animals infected with rabies in the United States. Skunks, foxes, bats, and coyotes are the other most frequently affected.

Bats are the most common animals responsible for the transmission of human rabies in the United States, accounting for more than half of human cases since 1980, and 74% since 1990. Rabid bats have been reported in all states except Hawaii.

Cats are the most common domestic animals with rabies in the United States. Dogs are the most common domestic rabid animals worldwide.

Almost any wild or domestic animal can potentially get rabies, but it is very rare in small rodents (rats, squirrels, chipmunks) and lagomorphs (rabbits and hares). Large rodents (beavers, woodchucks/groundhogs) have been found to have rabies in some areas of the United States.

Fish, reptiles, and birds are not known to carry the rabies virus.

When to Seek Medical Care

If you think an exposure to a rabid animal has occurred, call your doctor immediately.

The doctor should discuss both the animal's risk for having rabies and the risk of the exposure for transmission of the virus.

The doctor also should know if you have previously received vaccination against rabies, either because you're in a high-risk profession (for example, a veterinarian or zoo worker) or you have been exposed to a potentially rabid animal before. If you have been vaccinated previously, it will change the treatment that will follow after a new potential exposure.

Because rabies is such a rare disease, the doctor may be unfamiliar with the need for treatment or may not have the vaccine in the office for prompt administration. The local public health department is a good source of information in these cases, and a hospital's emergency department is a good place to seek medical care.

Even the most trivial bite can transmit rabies. Any bite or scratch by a rabid animal warrants the administration of rabies shots. Whether or not that animal is at risk for rabies depends somewhat on the region of the country and on the species of the animal.

Bat exposures are different from any other animal. There does not necessarily have to be a detectable bat bite to constitute a significant exposure. Any exposure to a bat where a bite cannot be ruled out is a significant exposure.

IN ANIMALS

Because the signs of rabies vary, diagnosis is very difficult while the animal is alive. The only positive diagnosis is by laboratory examination of certain tissues (brain and salivary gland).

Early in the disease, affected animals may show a slight change in behavior or temperament. As the disease progresses, the animal becomes restless and excitable, and may have a tendency to roam or eat unusual objects. The animal then may have trouble swallowing and may begin to drool excessively. Frequently the animal becomes vicious (The "Furious" form). Convulsions may occur and are usually fatal.

Some animals do not die in convulsions, but instead suffer paralysis of the lower jaw. Shortly after this, the paralysis spreads over the body and death occurs (The "Dumb" form).

Different states have different laws, but in Tennessee: