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Protect Yourself
and Your Family Against Rabies
 Southern
Missouri is experiencing an increase in the number of animals testing
positive for rabies in 2002. Year to date there have been a total
of 8 laboratory-confirmed rabid animals (skunks) testing positive
in southern Missouri and a total of 10 confirmed cases statewide.
This represents an increase in animal rabies reports for 2002, when
compared to the same reporting period in 2001 (2 cases increase)
and 2000 (3 cases increase). The State of Missouri reported a total
of 40 animal rabies cases in 2001 and 50 cases in 2000.
| Location |
YTD
2002 |
YTD
2001 |
YTD
2000 |
| Howell |
6 |
0 |
1 |
| St.
Francois |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Wright |
1 |
0 |
0 |
There have also
been 30 animals positively diagnosed with rabies in Arkansas in
2002. Nine of these cases are in counties adjacent to Missouri.
Two of these nine cases were in domestic animals (dogs). Howell
County is currently under rabies alert, along with the Arkansas
counties adjacent to Howell County.
To help protect
yourself and family against exposure to rabies, public health officials
are asking you to:
- Ensure that
your dog, cat or ferret is up-to-date on its rabies vaccination.
Rabies vaccinations are also available for horses, cattle, and
sheep.
- Keep pets
under control so they don't run loose and possibly become exposed
to a rabid animal.
- Parents,
with summer vacation nearing, please educate your children to
avoid all direct contact with stray dogs, cats, and wild animals.
Warn children not to attempt to pet, feed or otherwise directly
touch these animals.
- Do not keep
wild animals or wild animal crosses (e.g., wolf-dog hybrid) as
pets.
Signs and symptoms
that should lead one to suspect an animal may be rabid include:
nervousness, aggressiveness, excessive drooling and foaming at the
mouth, or abnormal change in behavior (e.g., wild animal losing
its fear of people or animals normally active at night being seen
in the daytime). Animals most often diagnosed with rabies in Missouri
include bats and skunks.
People become
infected with rabies when the skin is broken by a bite or scratch
from a rabid animal or a mucosal surface (e.g., eye, mouth) is contaminated
with the saliva of a rabid animal. Individuals who believe that
they may have been exposed to the rabies virus should call their
local health department and contact their medical provider immediately
for evaluation and possible preventative treatment.
An excellent
post-exposure vaccine is available for people. However, once clinical
symptoms develop, the disease is invariably fatal. Therefore, if
exposure occurs, prevention becomes paramount by administering rabies
immune globulin and the rabies vaccine.
Signs and symptoms
that should lead one to suspect an animal may be rabid include:
nervousness, aggressiveness, excessive drooling and foaming at the
mouth, or abnormal change in behavior (e.g., wild animal losing
its fear of people or animals normally active at night being seen
in the daytime). Animals most often diagnosed with rabies in Missouri
include bats and skunks.
People become
infected with rabies when the skin is broken by a bite or scratch
from a rabid animal or a mucosal surface (e.g., eye, mouth) is contaminated
with the saliva of a rabid animal. Individuals who believe that
they may have been exposed to the rabies virus should call their
local health department and contact their medical provider immediately
for evaluation and possible preventative treatment.
An excellent post-exposure vaccine is available for people. However,
once clinical symptoms develop, the disease is invariably fatal.
Therefore, if exposure occurs, prevention becomes paramount by administering
rabies immune globulin and the rabies vaccine.
For additional
information on rabies including surveillance reports, CDC recommendations,
and Missouri statutes, please visit the following web sites:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/default.htm
http://www.dhss.state.mo.us/Diseases/rabies.html
http://www.health.state.mo.us/Rabies/RabiesReports.htm
http://www.moga.state.mo.us/statutes/c322.htm
You may also
contact Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center by clicking here.
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