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CONTACT: Stephanie Marquis, 608-266-1683
HEALTH OFFICIALS URGE CAUTION AROUND WILD ANIMALS
Protect Yourself from Exposure to Rabies
MADISON - As Wisconsin residents head outdoors to enjoy summertime
activities, state health officials remind people to use caution around
wild animals to protect themselves against rabies, a viral disease
transmitted by bites from infected animals.
“The best method of prevention is to use caution around unfamiliar
animals,” Jim Kazmierczak, State Public Health Veterinarian of the
Department of Health Services. “If you are bitten by an animal, wash the
wound immediately with plenty of soap and water and contact your physician
and local health department. If you can do so safely, capture and confine
the animal so it may be tested for the virus.”
Often, people turn loose or destroy the animal, rather than safely
capturing it. In the vast majority of cases, if the animal is either
placed under observation or tested for rabies, no anti-rabies shots are
needed for the bite victim. Dogs and cats that bite humans can simply be
observed and checked by a veterinarian.
Bats and skunks are the most likely to carry the rabies virus, but
dogs, cats, raccoons and foxes can also transmit the disease. To help
avoid possible exposure to rabies:
- Avoid contact with wild animals, especially if they approach you or
you observe them acting abnormal or sick, indicators that they may be
infected. Do not try to nurse a sick animal back to health. Call an
animal control official or a wildlife rehabilitator if you find a sick
animal.
- Never touch unfamiliar or wild animals and teach children to do
likewise. Stray cats and dogs may not be accustomed to being handled
and are more likely to bite.
- Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home. Even baby
animals can carry rabies.
- Walk your dog on a leash and do not let them roam freely where wild
animals may be present.
- Secure trash cans and pet foods so they will not attract wild
animals.
- Keep bats out of living areas by securing open or loose fitting
doors, attics, unscreened windows and chimneys. Protecting your home
can significantly reduce the potential for rabies exposure for you and
your pets, as bat bites are small and may go unnoticed. Most recent
human rabies cases in the U.S. have resulted from contact with
bats.
Human rabies cases are very rare in the United States. In Wisconsin,
the most recent cases of human rabies occurred in 2000 and 2004, in both
cases resulting from a bite from an infected bat.
For more information on rabies, visit: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/communicable/factsheets/Rabies.htm
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Last Revised: July 12, 2010 |
