Rabies

A rabid beaver may have attacked two people at Loch Raven Reservoir last weekend, but area public health officials say there has been no increase in rabies infection rates among humans or animals. "We're not seeing anything noticeable," said Gary Thompson, rabies coordinator for the Baltimore County Health Department. Cases of human infection are extremely rare, with only a few reported each year nationwide, according to federal health experts. The last human death in Maryland was in 1976 when a bat bit someone, state health officials say. Physicians and hospitals are required to report animal bites to county and state health departments.

Last Dec. 15, when a 29-year-old inmate at the Nottoway Correctional Center in Virginia became ill with muscle pains, vomiting and abdominal cramps, he was simply given an aspirin substitute. But over the next few days his symptoms worsened: Pain and tremors developed in his right arm, and he began to have trouble walking.Three days after visiting the prison clinic, he was taken to a hospital in Richmond, with a fever of 103 degrees. Within hours, he began to hallucinate, and he became agitated and disoriented.

THE TOWN OF Mount Airy invites you to participate in the annual Spring Fling on Main Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 15.The event will feature craft and other vendors offering an array of goods, including food. Businesses, local nurseries and civic organizations will offer fun activities, demonstrations and entertainment for all ages.If you would like to participate, call Irene Brown at 301-829-3609 or Jennifer Heflin at 301-831-0735 to obtain a participant form.The form, along with two photographs of the products you plan to exhibit or sell and a check made payable to the Town of Mount Airy, must be returned no later than May 5.Vendor spaces are $25, and nonprofit organizations pay $5. Spaces will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Carroll County Health Department received confirmation Tuesday that a cat tested positive for rabies.The cat bit someone Saturday in the Fairfield Avenue area of Westminster.Several people will be treated for possible rabies exposure.The cat was gray with short hair, skinny, 9 to 12 pounds, with yellow eyes.Anyone having contact with the cat between Aug. 4 and 14 should contact the Health Department at 410-876-1884, call or visit a doctor, or go to the emergency room at Carroll County General Hospital.

In a rare outbreak of rabies in the city, health officials confirmed yesterday at least two recent cases involving infected raccoons, and residents reported a third rabid raccoon in Northeast Baltimore.Dr. Peter Beilenson, city health commissioner, said last night that one of the cases involved a man who raised a raccoon. No other details were immediately available. Reached at home, Jerome Ferguson, chief of the city's division for environmental health, would not comment.Records from the Municipal Animal Shelter show that a rabid raccoon was found March 12 in a residential back yard in tTC Lauraville, behind Morgan State University in Northeast Baltimore.

Baltimore County police were seeking the owner of a dog that bit a child yesterday to learn if the animal's rabies shots are current.Police said Taylor Lorme, 5, of the 2500 block of Yorkway in Dundalk was playing with a medium-sized brown dog outside her home about 6 p.m. when it bit her on a leg. Taylor was treated at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.Police said if the dog and its owner are not located soon, Taylor will have to receive a series of painful rabies shots. The owner was described as a black woman wearing an orange dress.

Anne Arundel County led the state in confirmed number of rabies cases in 1997, the fourth year in a row that the number has increased, according to the county's Animal Control Department.Ninety-seven animals were detected with the disease last year, said Tahira Williams, animal control administrator, compared with 88 in 1996. That jump makes Anne Arundel the worst county for rabies in the state, ahead of Frederick County, which led in number of cases in 1996.While rabies cases involving animals increased last year, the number of people needing treatment for possible exposure to rabies decreased from 84 in 1996 to 71 last year, said Spencer Franklin, a county Health Department deputy director.

RABIES IS MAKING a comeback. Last year, Anne Arundel County's Animal Control Department handled 97 confirmed rabies cases, more than any other Maryland jurisdiction.The number was twice as many as in 1995, which was double the number for 1994. Although most of the rabid animals handled by animal control were wild, the mushrooming number of cases reinforces the wisdom of having dogs and cats vaccinated.Rabies is an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system of mammals. The disease is invariably fatal if untreated.

Baltimore County police said yesterday they are seeking a small black dog that bit a 13-year-old boy as he was walking to Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts in the 8100 block of Wise Ave. this week.Police said the boy's mother told them that they were at North Boundary and Stokesley roads in the North Point area about 7: 20 a.m. Wednesday when the boy was bitten on both hands by the dog, which was wearing a red leash.The boy's skin was punctured. The owner then called the dog and the man and his pet ran down an alley.

THE LARGER incorporated towns of northwest Carroll dominate the festival and carnival scene this time of year, but occasionally, smaller communities seek their day in the sun, too.On Saturday, Frizzellburg (or is it Frizellburg or Frizzelburg?) Day runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the community on Old Taneytown Road, about three miles west of Westminster.Yard sales, a food stand and a bake sale will be offered.The money will be used for that quaint (some might say outdated) idea of paying the street light fund.

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

The number of bats that have tested positive for rabies in Baltimore has increased this summer, according to city officials, who are also seeing a rise in complaints about bats from homeowners. "This time last year, we had three positives," said Bob Anderson, director of the city's Bureau of Animal Control. "So far this year, we have five and we have another 12 waiting for testing. That could make six. "I don't want to alarm people, but six is a big leap." There have been more than 100 calls to animal control so far this summer, and 60 bats have been captured and tested for rabies, he said.

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

Entries sought for Art Bras Challenge The Anne Arundel County Department of Health and the Annapolis Quilt Guild are accepting entries for the fourth annual Cup of the Month Challenge. Contestants will create Art Bras, decorated bras that inspire and support breast cancer awareness, screening and treatment. Entry forms and contest rules are available on the Department of Health Web site, www.aahealth.org. Under Hot Topics, click Cup of the Month Bra Art Challenge. There is no cost to enter, but bras must be submitted by Sept.

A stray kitten that wandered into a North Baltimore backyard this month had rabies, the first city cat or dog found to have the disease in more than 20 years, officials said yesterday. Two people who tried to help the kitten are receiving medical treatment. Others who are concerned that they or their pets may have had contact with the kitten are asked to call the Bureau of Animal Control. The cream-colored male tabby kitten was found in a yard in the 7100 block of Marlborough Drive, near the city-county line, Aug. 5. The kitten, which appeared to be about 4 months old, was wounded on his back and a hind leg, said Bob Anderson, the director of the Animal Control Bureau.

A 9-year-old girl remained hospitalized yesterday after being attacked by a "pit-bull type" dog that was running loose in an East Baltimore neighborhood, animal control officials said. The animal bit the girl on her hands, arms and shoulders, said Bureau of Animal Control Director Bob Anderson, who did not release the child's name. She was rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital after the incident on Monday evening, but her condition could not be ascertained. An unconfirmed report said the girl's grandmother tried to ward off the dog with a stick, but the agency's investigator was still looking into the incident late yesterday and could not be reached for comment.

Harford County health officials confirmed yesterday that an abandoned kitten has tested positive for rabies. They are seeking anyone who might have had contact with other kittens, or the mother cat, that were left outside a Pylesville convenience store about a month ago. "We don't perceive many people are at risk, but anyone who has been exposed is at great risk," said Bill Wiseman, county Health Department spokesman. "They are at risk for a potentially life-threatening disease." Wiseman said the tested kitten was among a litter that was left in a box with its mother outside a High's convenience store at Routes 24 and 165. He said two kittens were taken by people at the store, and the other kittens and the mother are missing.

A rabid beaver may have attacked two people at Loch Raven Reservoir last weekend, but area public health officials say there has been no increase in rabies infection rates among humans or animals. "We're not seeing anything noticeable," said Gary Thompson, rabies coordinator for the Baltimore County Health Department. Cases of human infection are extremely rare, with only a few reported each year nationwide, according to federal health experts. The last human death in Maryland was in 1976 when a bat bit someone, state health officials say. Physicians and hospitals are required to report animal bites to county and state health departments.

We're attending a family reunion in Staffordshire, England, and we would also like to visit Cork, Ireland, to look into our genealogy. How can we get from England to Ireland and take a guided trip while in Cork? The best, and quickest, way from England to Ireland is by air. In fact, flights on low-cost carrier Ryanair (ryanair. com) are dirt-cheap. We found advance-purchase round-trip fares from Birmingham to Dublin for 1.98 pounds ... that's less than $4. A word of warning: Fees and taxes will increase the cost considerably, although it's still a bargain.

We don't have human rights, let alone dog rights." A PARTICIPANT on a Chinese Internet forum protesting the government-ordered mass extermination of dogs in some provinces to combat rabies