The Alabama Department of Public Health reported that a cat in Russell County had contracted rabies. That cat exposed four family members from Hurtsboro to the deadly illness and 11 staff members at an Opelika veterinary hospital.
In another incident, a laboratory confirmed that a Lee County raccoon had rabies, exposing one person.
The most common variant found in domestic animals is the raccoon variant. Rabies infections in raccoons are common in some areas of Alabama, including Russell and Lee counties. Raccoons frequently visit homes and farmsteads to forage in the garbage or to eat pet food left out for the pets. Raccoons are intelligent and can easily be trained to return to a backyard for food. Some people have even illegally made them into pets. Do not do that. Raccoons are very susceptible to rabies, and their lifestyle and diet mean that if rabies is in their forest, they will likely become exposed to it.
Dr. Dee Jones is the State Public Health Veterinarian.
“Vaccinating your animals against rabies is the best way to keep your pets protected from the deadly virus,” Dr. Jones said. “Animal vaccinations also help protect people, who many times are exposed when the animal first becomes sick and before rabies can be confirmed, just as with this recent case in a cat.”
The cat in question was a stray cat that attacked the owner’s dog. The family was exposed at that time. Wisely on their part, the cat was then presented to the local veterinary hospital, where it was placed in quarantine.
The cat died and tested positive for rabies on Friday, August 11.
One person in the clinic was bitten by the rabid cat, and ten were exposed indirectly.
All fifteen exposed people were sent to East Alabama Medical Center for post-exposure prophylactic treatment for rabies and had been treated as of the evening of August 11.
Dr. Homer S. Bruce is the Lee County rabies officer.
“The key here is that all of the owner’s pets had received a previous rabies vaccination, and all have received rabies booster vaccinations post-exposure,” Dr. Bruce said. “Rabies vaccinations are so important in protecting your pets from rabies and thereby protecting humans from exposure through their pets.”
Alabama law requires all dogs, cats, and ferrets to be vaccinated at three months of age and annually after that unless they receive a 3-year rabies vaccine.
The first rabies vaccination is only good for one year, regardless of which vaccine a pet receives.
Rabies prevention is multifaceted. It involves taking precautions with wildlife, ensuring their pets are current on rabies vaccinations, and always reporting an animal bite or other exposures to their medical provider and the Alabama Department of Public Health.
In addition to vaccination, area residents are advised to take the following precautions to avoid possible exposures to rabies:
* Do not allow pets to run loose, confine within a fenced-in area or with a leash.
* Do not leave uneaten pet food or scraps near your residence.
* Do not illegally feed or keep wildlife as pets.
* Do not go near wildlife or domestic animals that are acting in a strange or unusual manner.
* Caution children not to go near any stray or wild animal, regardless of its behavior.
“I ask everyone to please check their pet’s rabies vaccination status and to get them boosted immediately if they are not up to date,” Dr. Bruce said. “Lastly, stray animals hanging around your property can expose you, your children, your pets, and your livestock to rabies. Please contact your local animal control agency for assistance with stray animals on your property. As always, please be ever vigilant and aware of wild animals hanging around and or acting out of place on your property.”
Rabies is endemic in the state of Alabama. The raccoon and bat variants of the disease are found here. Do not handle either raccoons or bats. Each year, Alabama participates in an Oral Rabies Vaccine (ORV) Program to control the spread of rabies in wildlife. That especially targets raccoons.
Contact your veterinarian if you cannot determine your pet’s vaccination status.
Please call (334) 745-0060 if you have questions about rabies.
Contact your veterinarian if you cannot determine your pet’s vaccination status.
For more information, visit the Alabama Public Health website.
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