SUMMER MEANS spending more time outdoors, which may lead to more contact with animals -- domestic and wild. Unfortunately, this also means that people must be vigilant about rabies.
To date, 58 cases of rabid animals have been reported to Anne Arundel County's Office of Animal Control. Also reported were 881 animal bites, compared with 618 at this time last year.
Rabies is an infectious virus that attacks the central nervous system. It is invariably fatal if left untreated. The virus is generally passed through saliva. Bites and scratches are the most common means of transfer, but saliva on an animal's coat can also transmit the disease. Humans exposed to rabies are treated by a series of shots administered over 28 days.
So far this year, a number of Anne Arundel residents have had to undergo painful rabies treatment.
There are some simple precautions people can take to ensure they or their pets don't contract the disease. Vaccinating animals is the most obvious, but sometimes most neglected, measure. If dogs and cats have up-to-date shots, there is little likelihood they will get the disease should they come in contact with a rabid animal. Not only does it make good sense to have pets vaccinated against rabies, it is required by county law.
Veterinarians administer rabies shots, but the county Animal Control office has a weekly clinic at its offices at 7409-A Baltimore/Annapolis Boulevard in Glen Burnie from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays. County residents can have their pets vaccinated for $5 each.
The county health department also holds periodic rabies clinics. The next one is scheduled for Sept. 14.
Rabid wild animals -- which include raccoons, skunks and foxes as well as stray dogs and cats -- are likely to scratch or bite pets that roam. To minimize this kind of contact, pet owners should keep their dogs on leashes or in their yards. Cats are best kept indoors.
Any wild animal that is not behaving normally -- nocturnal animals such as raccoons out in broad daylight or foxes brazenly parading down a street -- should be avoided.
If people take sensible precautions and are wary of strange animals, the likelihood of catching rabies will remain remote.
Pub Date: 8/08/97
