Rabies    

For information on rabies, the rabies control manual, the Rabies Bait Drop Program, and an up to date listing of animals testing positive for rabies in Vermont, visit the Vermont Department of Health's website at:

http://healthvermont.gov/prevent/rabies/Rabies.aspx

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Health Department Reminds Vermonters to Avoid Contact with Bats

Trapped Inside Homes

For Immediate Release: June 4, 2010

Media Contact: Communication Office

Vermont Department of Health

802-863-7281

BURLINGTON - Every summer, the Health Department receives numerous calls from people who have found a bat inside their house.  Because bats can carry rabies, careful consideration must be given to whether a person or pet has come in contact with the bat before deciding whether to capture it for testing or to release it outside.

Staff at the Vermont Rabies Hotline (1-800-472-2437 or 802-223-8697) can help people determine whether an exposure to a bat has put them at risk for rabies and, if necessary, help make arrangements to have a bat tested at the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory.

Bats that have bitten or scratched a person should be caught and submitted for rabies testing. Because a bat bite or scratch may be small and hard to see, bats found in a room with an unattended child or in a room with a soundly sleeping person should also be tested.

 To capture a bat safely, wait until the bat lands.  Approach it slowly while wearing leather work gloves, and place a box or coffee can over it. Slide a piece of cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. Tape the cardboard to the container securely, and punch small holes in the cardboard so the bat can breathe.

"Bats are an important part of the ecosystem but they should be appreciated at a distance, since they have been implicated in human rabies cases," said Dr. Robert Johnson, state public health veterinarian for the Vermont Department of Health.

Each year, the Health Department tests approximately 100 bats for rabies, and one or two are routinely identified as positive. Rabies is a viral disease found mainly in wildlife (especially raccoons, foxes, bats and skunks).  A total of 71 animals tested positive for rabies in Vermont in 2009, and 19 so far in 2010. The test for rabies is done on a tissue sample from the animal's brain so the animal must be euthanized in order to be tested.

Rabies can also affect domestic animals and people. The virus is typically contracted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal.

People who may have been exposed to rabies should contact their healthcare provider. If there is an obvious bite or scratch, the wound should be washed thoroughly with soap and warm water as soon as possible. Untreated, rabies is always fatal; however, prompt treatment with rabies shots after an exposure is very effective in preventing illness in people. There has never been a human case of rabies reported to the Vermont Department of Health.

The best way to protect domestic animals is to have them vaccinated against rabies before an exposure occurs.

For more information and the number of animal rabies cases reported each year, visit healthvermont.gov.

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Rabies Bait Drop Begins August 28, 2009

For Immediate Release: Aug. 21, 2009
Media Contact: Communication Office
Vermont Department of Health
802-863-7281

BURLINGTON - The 13th annual bait drop will begin on Aug. 28 with white, twin-engine aircraft flying over mapped grid lines at an altitude of 500 feet dropping small, ketchup-packet shaped, fishmeal-covered
baits over rural areas in six Vermont counties. In more densely populated areas, baits will be placed by hand.

"The hand baiting started in the greater Burlington area this week and we have received a few calls from pet owners reporting their dogs have located one of the packets," said Dr. Robert Johnson, state public health veterinarian with the Vermont Department of Health. "The baits are not harmful to children or pets, but you should keep dogs on a leash and leave them untouched."

The bait drop program is designed to increase the level of rabies antibodies in the raccoon population. Animal rabies steadily spread northward during the spring and summer of 2006 despite efforts by wildlife officials in the United States and Canada to vaccinate those animals that serve as the primary vectors of the disease.

In response, health officials on both sides of the border worked cooperatively to initiate a trap, vaccinate, and release program. Seven United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials have already trapped, vaccinated and released 1,164 raccoons and 86 skunks this summer.

Vermont saw the number of raccoon rabies cases peak in 2007 (165), taper off to 75 cases in 2008, and slow to 37 cases to date in 2009. Only two cases of raccoon rabies have been detected in southern Quebec in 2009, from a high of 66 cases in 2007.

People are asked to avoid any animal that exhibits strange behavior.  Do not try to trap or capture the animal themselves, but instead call the Vermont Rabies Hotline at 1-800-472-2437 (1-800-4-RABIES).

Rabies is a fatal, viral disease found mainly in wildlife (especially raccoons, foxes, bats and skunks), but can infect domestic animals and people. There has never been a human case of rabies reported to the Health Department. The virus can be contracted through the bite, or salivary contact with, an infected animal.

For more information on rabies prevention efforts visit the Health Department's website: healthvermont.gov.

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Bats Found in a Room with a Sleeping Person or Unattended Child Should be Tested for Rabies

For Immediate Release: August 5, 2008

Media Contact: Communication Office

Vermont Department of Health, 802-863-7281

BURLINGTON - The Vermont Department of Health is reminding people to avoid contact with bats that may fly into homes during the summer as they hunt insects. The Health Department has fielded an increasing number of calls from people seeking guidance on the best way to free a bat, trap and release it, or capture the small mammals.

The bat should be captured and tested for rabies if found in a room with an unattended child, or where someone has been sleeping. Any bat that has had physical contact with a person should be tested as well.

When the bat lands, approach it slowly while wearing gloves and place a box or coffee can over it. Slide the cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. Tape the cardboard to the container securely and contact the Vermont Rabies Hotline (1-8 00-472-2437) for guidance. Game wardens, animal control officers, nuisance trappers, town health officers, and others can help capture bats.

Each year the Health Department tests approximately 100 bats for rabies and one or two are routinely identified as positive, including two so far in 2008. There has never been a human case of rabies reported to the Vermont Department of Health.

"People should avoid exposure to bats and learn to appreciate them at a distance," said Dr. Robert Johnson, state public health veterinarian for the Vermont Department of Health. "Bats are a good indicator of the health of the ecosystem and they are important, just as bees are. Normally they are not aggressive. They can be infected with rabies even if they don't appear sick."

Rabies is a fatal viral disease found mainly in wildlife (especially raccoons, foxes, bats and skunks), but can infect domestic animals and people. The virus can be contracted through the bite of an infected animal.

If a person is exposed, contact your doctor and follow his or her instructions. Wash the bite wound thoroughly with soap and warm water.  Always keep your pets' rabies vaccinations up to date in case they have contact with a rabid bat or other animal.

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Rabies Contacts:

• Vermont Rabies Hotline: 1-800-4-RABIES (1-800-472-2437)
• Vermont Department of Health: 1-800-640-4374 1-802-863-7240
• Dr. Bob Johnson, State Public Health Veterinarian, Vermont Department of Health: rjohnso@vdh.state.vt.us
• USDA Wildlife Services: 1-802-223-8690
• Center for Disease Control & Prevention: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies
• Bat Conservation International, Inc.: www.batcon.org

Preventing Rabies:

• Don't feed or touch wild animals, or animals you don't know - even baby animals
• Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly
• Wash any wound from an animal thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. Call your doctor right away especially if you are bitten, or get animal saliva in a cut, eyes, nose, or mouth
• Have all dead, sick, or easily captured bats tested for rabies if exposure to people or pets occurs
• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas where they might contact people and pets.

Be a responsible pet owner by keeping vaccinations current for all dogs, cats, and ferrets, keeping your cats and ferrets inside and your dogs under direct supervision, and calling animal control to remove stray animals from your neighborhood and spaying and neutering your pets.

Vaccinate your Pet!!!