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State sees rise in rabies cases: Health officials urge precautions to avoid rabies exposure
By Heather M. Goodwin and Bill Conrad, hgoodwin@starlocalnews.com bconrad@starlocalnews.com
The number of positive rabies tests conducted statewide increased dramatically from 2010 to 2011, prompting local health officials to urge residents to be cautious when dealing with wild animals.
While some of Texas' 254 counties have not seen an increase, the overall number of positive tests climbed by 32 percent, even while the number of tests conducted fell by nearly 9 percent.
"We don't know the reason for the increase. It's not our area of expertise," said Sarah McKinney, Denton County Health Department spokeswoman. "This is just an awareness campaign. We want residents to be careful while outside and especially if they come in contact with a wild animal."
"We serve as a depot for the rabies prophylaxis and vaccine and serve people throughout the entire region," Wittie said. "We hand out the medicine like a pharmacy would based on what the state and doctors tell us. For a long time we were one of the only counties that did that. In 2010 we handed out 57 doses of prophylaxis. That number was 31 in 2011 and so far this year we have handed out 16."
Jamey Cantrell, the city of Plano's animal services manager, said cases of rabies in Plano are rare.
"We submit animals for testing when there has been some sort of exposure to humans or pets," he said. "But positive results are very rare. We typically only get one back per year, if that much."
Officials in Denton County have seen an increase. The county saw 25 positive rabies cases in animals in 2011 and has had nine cases reported this year. There has been one case of human infection last week in Lewisville. A resident came across a skunk near the intersection of Edmonds Lane and Bellaire Boulevard. The resident was approached by the skunk and suffered multiple bites. The animal was tested and determined to be positive for rabies.??
Skunks and bats are the most common carriers of rabies, but family pets are at a greater risk of being exposed and passing the virus to humans, due to the increased presence of the disease. People can contract rabies from an animal bite or scratch, or if an animal's saliva comes into contact with an open wound, or the eyes, mouth or nose.
"When an animal is infected with rabies, we know they will act differently than normal," McKinney said. "Residents should watch out for wild animals that are tame or seem friendly."
Wittie said she believes the drought is causing numbers to increase across the state. She said with long-range forecasts calling for the drought to continue through the summer, the number of interactions between rabid animals and humans could continue to rise.
"The drought has influenced the number of wild animals who have to leave their normal areas to find food and water, which puts them in contact with humans and livestock," she said. "You may find them coming up near houses to get food and water that is left out for pets, or to drink from water that kids wade in. This increases the chances of human exposure."
Cantrell said Plano residents should contact his department if they observe wild animals acting in a strange manner, even if they don't suspect the animal is rabid. Animal control officers will respond immediately and try to trap the animal, he said.
"People should call us if they notice any sort of unusual behavior such as an animal stumbling around, or appearing drunk," Cantrell said. "It may not even be rabies, but any injured wild animals should be considered dangerous. If you see an animal limping, they are dangerous because if they can't run away, their only option is to fight."
McKinney said if a resident is bitten, they should quickly wash the area with soap and water, apply an antiseptic and immediately contact a health provider to determine if further treatment is needed. The treatment for rabies is a post exposure vaccine, which is a human rabies immune globine that builds immediate antibodies against the disease. The health department can dispense the medication. McKinney said if a resident's pet is bitten, they should be taken to the veterinarian immediately.
For information visit www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/rabies or www.cdc.gov/rabies.
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