- RABIES, WOLF, FELINE, HUMAN EXPOSURE - UKRAINE: (KIEV),
REQUEST FOR Date: Wed 2 Sep 2009 Source: Utro (In Russian, trans. Mod.ARS,
edited)
-
- A rabid wolf has bitten 6 persons on the premises of
the Chernobyl atomic power plant, 4 of them employees of SSE Chernobyl
and 2 employees of the contractor organization UAB. They did not manage
to get away, all were injured and hospitalized. The patients are being
treated in the specialized health care facilities of Slavutich and Ivankov
cities. The conditions of all are satisfactory. The police patrol shot
the rabid wolf the same night. Rabies was confirmed in the animal by the
laboratory.
-
- Alexandr Gardetskiy, the attorney of Kievskiy oblast,
stated that policing in the Chernobyl zone is not being conducted properly
due to staff shortages. He also said that taking radiation contaminated
animals, lumber and metal scrap off the Chernobyl zone is common and only
2 policemen patrol the territory daily.
-
- Recently, a rabid stray cat has attacked 5 people in
one of the townships in Crimea [Ukraine]. The cat occupied a path and attacked
everyone who tried to pass his territory; 5 people were attacked in one
day. The cat has been killed and the tests confirmed rabies. The bitten
people are on outpatient treatment now. 3 stray dogs and 3 domestic cats
suspected of having contact with the sick cat have been exterminated; 62
dogs and 50 cats have been immunized and vaccination continues. Quarantine
limitations have been imposed in a 10km [6.2-mile] radius around this Crimean
township.
-
-
- http://utro.ua/ru/proisshestviya/beshenyy_volk_iskusal_6_
- sotrudnikov_chernobylskoy_aes_foto1251748844
-
- --
- Communicated by
- ProMED-mail Correspondent Vadim Melnik
-
- Laboratory diagnosis of rabies in animals is conducted
on central nervous system (CNS) tissue removed from the cranium. A composite
of CNS samples should be tested and the brain stem is the most important
component of the sample.
-
- The deteriorating rabies situation in Ukraine is a cause
for concern, as also apparent from a previous posting (see 20090814.2890).
We repeat the following request for information, included in the said posting:
-
- "The reportedly increased rabies incidence in Ukraine
is somewhat puzzling in view of the statement that oral vaccination of
wildlife is being applied. It will help to obtain information on the oral
vaccination's date of inauguration, number of distributions per year, mode
of application, number of baits per square kilometer, geographical coverage,
the baiting material used and the vaccine strain." - Mod.AS
-
- ______________
-
-
-
- RABIES, RACCOON - USA (NEW YORK)
- Source: Pet Health Care on Emaxhealth.com (edited)
- By Ruzik Tuzik
- 8-29-9
-
-
- With the identification of a 2nd raccoon infected with
rabies in Manhattan in recent weeks, the Health Department is reminding
New Yorkers to stay away from raccoons, skunks, bats, stray dogs and cats,
and other wild animals that can carry rabies.
-
- 12 rabid animals have been identified in New York City
this year [2009]. Eight were found in the Bronx, 2 in Manhattan (most recently
in Central Park), one in Queens (Long Island City), and one in Staten Island
(Tottenville). Raccoons are the most commonly reported rabid animals in
New York City. Rabid raccoons are a relatively common occurrence in Staten
Island and the Bronx, but rare in Queens and Manhattan. Bats with rabies
have also been found in all 5 boroughs.
-
- People and unvaccinated animals can get rabies, most
often through a bite from an infected animal. Infection leads to a severe
brain disease that causes death unless the person is treated promptly after
being bitten [Generally, this is post exposure prophylaxis and must be
given within a short time after the bite. After symptoms are apparent,
very few with special treatment survive. - Mod.TG]. To reduce the risk
of rabies, New Yorkers should avoid all wild animals as well as any animal
that seems sick, disoriented, or unusually placid or aggressive. Report
such animals by calling 311. Animals that have attacked or may attack should
be reported to 911.
-
- In 2008, 19 animals tested positive for rabies in New
York City. They included 13 from the Bronx (4 raccoons, 7 skunks, one bat
and one cat) and 4 from Staten Island (all raccoons), as well as a bat
from Brooklyn and a raccoon from Queens.
- To protect yourself against rabies:
- * Do not touch or feed wild animals, or stray dogs or
cats.
- * Keep garbage in tightly sealed containers.
- * Stay away from any animal that is behaving aggressively
or a wild animal
- that appears ill or is acting unusually friendly. Call
311 or your local
- precinct to report the animal.
- * If you find a bat indoors that may have had contact
with someone, do not
- release it before calling 311 to determine whether it
should be tested.
-
- To protect your pet against rabies:
- * Make sure your dog or cat is up to date on rabies vaccinations.
[As there
- are a number of horses around NYC, this would include
horses as well. -
- Mod.TG]
- * Do not leave your pets outdoors unattended.
- * Do not try to separate animals that are fighting.
- * If your pet has been in contact with an animal that
might be rabid,
- contact your veterinarian, and report the incident to
311.
- * Feed pets indoors.
-
- If you are bitten by an animal:
- * Immediately wash the wound with lots of soap and water.
- * Seek medical care from your health care provider.
- * If you know where the animal is, call 311 to have it
captured.
- * If the animal is a pet, get the owner's name, address
and telephone
- number to give to the Health Department so they can ensure
the animal is
- not rabid.
-
- http://www.emaxhealth.com/2/116/33177/avoid-wild-animals-vaccinate-pets-against-rabies.html
-
-
- communicated by
- HealthMaps via
- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
-
- Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most
often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority
of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and
foxes. Domestic animals account for less than 10 percent of the reported
rabies cases, with cats, cattle, and dogs most often reported rabid.
-
- Rabies virus causes an acute encephalitis in all warm-blooded
hosts, including humans, and the outcome is almost always fatal. Although
all species of mammals are susceptible to rabies virus infection, only
a few species are important as reservoirs for the disease. In the United
States, several distinct rabies virus variants have been identified in
terrestrial mammals, including raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes. In
addition to these terrestrial reservoirs, several species of insectivorous
bats are also reservoirs for rabies.
-
- Animals may act strangely, perhaps more friendly or docile,
while others are more aggressive. Nocturnal animals may be seen in the
day time. There may be hypersalivation because the paralysis affecting
the throat prevents the animal from swallowing its saliva or any other
fluids. It should be noted, human beings can only observe clinical signs
of the animals, whereas human beings can vocalize the type of pain they
feel and thus express their symptoms.
-
- Rabies virus infects the central nervous system, causing
encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms of rabies in humans
are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache, and general malaise. As
the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia,
anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations,
agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear
of water) [However, this has long been a misnomer. People and apparently
animals are not afraid of the water, but rather unable to swallow water
or other fluids due to the paralysis of the throat, and, consequently,
are unable to swallow their own saliva. - Mod.TG]. Death usually occurs
within days of the onset of symptoms.
-
- Rabies can be found almost anywhere there are mammals,
including the boroughs of New York City.
- Portions of this comment were extracted from:
- <http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/about.html>http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/about.html.
-
- New York may be seen on a map at: http://www.healthmap.org/en.
- Mod.TG
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