Newtown Health District

Sees One In Four Rabies Tests Positive

By John Voket

Back in April, the Newtown Health District reported its first positive rabies result from a fox specimen. Since then, Donna Culbert, director of health for the Newtown Health District has seen one in four of the specimens shipped to the state for testing come back positive.

In at least one of those cases, the possible exposure to rabies because of human interaction with a household pet that came in contact, may have resulted in Newtown residents having to go through a painful process of receiving a series of rabies vaccinations. But since the local health district does not track the post-exposure treatment, Ms Culbert was unsure whether or not the family members opted to receive the prophylactic regiment of shots.

“We are always concerned about potential exposure to the rabies virus, which is carried in the saliva of an infected animal,” Ms Culbert told The Newtown Bee. “Many of us live in or near the woods, and that increases the likelihood of a possible exposure, either directly or with our pets. I understand the fascination with wildlife; they are so beautiful and can behave so curiously. However, they do pose a risk and it can be life-threatening.”

Ms Culbert said children, who typically come in contact first with a pet that may have tangled with a rabid animal, are the ones who face the greatest risk of exposure to this fatal disease.

“When they see a pet disheveled and possibly bleeding from a fight with a rabid animal, they want to touch and comfort — but this is when everyone should be most cautious, as the infected saliva could be all over their own animal because of the contact,” the health director cautioned.

From 2000 through 2008, Newtown submitted 268 specimens to the state Department of Public Health’s Lab for testing — more than 33 per year — and 24 of those specimens testing positive for rabies were 20 raccoons, 3 skunks, and one bat.

But including that fox which was found to be positive for rabies back in April, 20 specimens have been submitted and four have been positive, three raccoons and one fox. Ms Culbert said the message bears repeating: “People should not be interacting with wildlife; they can pose a life-threatening risk.”

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 55,000 people die of rabies and ten million receive post exposure treatments worldwide. The majority of exposures are attributable to dog bites and 30–60 percent of the victims are children.

In the United States, where rabies in dogs has been largely eliminated, rabies is still widespread in wildlife and serves as a source of potential infection for other animals and people. Although human deaths are rare in the United States, the costs associated with detection, animal control and vaccination, and medical care, including rabies post-exposure treatments, is estimated to exceed $300 million annually.

State law requires vaccination of cats and dogs; dogs must also be licensed. It is essential that pet owners vaccinate their dogs and cats against rabies.

Vaccination helps provide a safe buffer between rabies in wildlife and people.

Rabies is a viral disease in people caused by infection of the brain and spinal cord. People get rabies from the bite of an infected animal and potentially from other types of contact.

Symptoms progress over the course of several days from a flu-like illness to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) that may be characterized by confusion, agitation, hallucinations, and muscle paralysis.

Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is fatal. Disease can be prevented by thorough wound cleaning and timely medical treatment that includes administration of one dose of immune globulin (antibodies) and the vaccine.

In the past, rabies shots were dreaded almost as much as the disease itself. Until the 1970s, an encounter with a rabid animal led to at least 14 shots in the abdomen.

But as vaccines have improved, the five shots in the arm or thigh were the US standard for more than 20 years have recently been reduced to only four vaccinations.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously earlier this month that four shots - all given within the first 14 days after exposure to rabies - are sufficient. The panel advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issues official guidance to doctors

Committee members made the decision after hearing that out of 20,000 to 40,000 Americans exposed to rabies each year, an estimated 1,000 get only three or four shots and none of them have developed rabies.

The shots cost between $100 and $200 apiece. Two companies make rabies vaccine for the US market, Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur.

The committee’s recommendations usually harmonize with the drug companies’ package insert information about how their product should be used, but not in this case. A Novartis official, Clement Lewin, said he disagreed with the panel setting a precedent by making an off-label recommendation. He said it might confuse doctors who read company information about the vaccine that calls for five doses over 28 days, but see government guidance that says four shots are enough.

Associated Press content was used in this report.

You Can Prevent Rabies

According to Donna Culbert, director of health for the Newtown Health District, rabies prevention measures include:

*Avoid contact with all wild or stray domestic animals, including feral cats. Leave young animals alone and never attempt to feed, pet, or handle them. Remember that it is illegal to keep any wild animal as a pet. Let wildlife be wild and enjoy them from a safe and healthy distance; remind children to stay away from all unknown animals.

*Be a responsible pet owner. Vaccinate pets and livestock against rabies, keep pets under close supervision and do not allow them to roam, especially at night when wild animals are most active.

*Discourage wildlife from living around homes by eliminating any potential sources of food or shelter. Animal proofing methods include securing garbage cans, feeding pets indoors, capping chimneys, screening crawl spaces, and closing garage doors.

*If bitten by an animal, people should wash the wound thoroughly, call a physician, and, for additional advice contact the health department; if bitten by a domestic animal contact the animal control officer who will decide if testing or quarantine is necessary.

*If your pet is bitten, wear gloves when handling it or treating its wounds and contact the pet’s veterinarian for advice and treatment.

*Wild animals exhibiting paralysis, incoordination, seizures, or unprovoked aggression towards people or pets should be reported to the Department of Environmental Protection or, when immediate assistance is needed, the local police department or animal control officer. Primarily nocturnal animals such as raccoons, skunks, or foxes out during the day do not necessarily have rabies.

*Bats should be kept out of places where contact with people or pets may occur such as the living quarters of homes and schools. When a bat is found in the same room as a person who might be unaware that direct contact occurred, such as a baby or sleeping person, it should be safely captured and tested.

For information, contact the Newtown Health District at 270-4291 or click on the district’s website www.newtown-ct.gov