Wayne Co. rabies alert continued by CDC

GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Wayne County continues to be on alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after a Wayne County dog tested positive for rabies last month.

According to Wayne County Health Center administrator Rae Jean Crutchfield, the animal was taken to a veterinarian and later died. Suspicious animals are to be tested, so the dog's head was removed and sent to a state lab. The Health Center was notified of the positive test June 25.

"We're seeing a lot more domestic animals this year than what we have in the last few years," Crutchfield explained. "The rabies cases are already a lot higher this year."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 23 cases so far this year in Missouri, including 15 skunks, three bats, three dogs, one cat and one horse. Nineteen are attributed to the Southeast Missouri area, including Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Oregon counties.

By July 2012, 17 cases had been reported, all among bats and skunks, with two of the skunks coming from Reynolds County. In 2011, the same time period reported 11 cases among bats and skunks. Although there were 32 cases in 2010, they also were only among skunks and bats, with one skunk coming from Carter County.

This year's numbers indicate "a sustained, higher-than-normal level of rabies activity in animals that naturally harbor and transmit this virus, which in this part of Missouri is primarily skunks," according to a Wayne County Health Center news release.

Veterinarian Arnold Powell, owner of Powell Veterinary Clinic in Puxico, Mo., said vaccination is the only prevention among domesticated animals.

"There are various patterns of rabies," he said. "It seems like some years are worse than others, and we're kind of in a bad area, too. The incidences of rabies are higher than in other areas."

Without the vaccine, a pet that is exposed to another animal that tested positive must be euthanized or quarantined by a veterinarian or city or county animal impoundment facility, at the owner's expense, for six months, according to the Wayne County Health Center. A vaccinated animal, however, only requires a booster shot and a 45-day quarantine at home.

Without treatment, the illness is almost always fatal, according to Crutchfield.

The vaccine must be administered by a vet, Powell said.

"A veterinarian would be unwise to send a vaccination out the door," he said. "A veterinarian will only write a certificate if he or she has given the vaccine. It makes it a lot easier for a pet owner to have the vaccine certificate in hand. In some places, it's required, but everybody, even in a rural situation, would be better off to have it."

Although some pet owners worry about the cost of the vaccination, Powell said an extended vet stay is even more costly. If an animal has contracted the illness, there is no cure, and after its death, its head must be removed for testing on the brain stem.

With that in mind, Powell also has advice for anyone coming into contact with a suspicious wild animal.

"If a skunk comes in contact and we need to examine it, don't shoot it in the head," he said.

If the brain is damaged, testing may not be possible.

A suspicious animal should not be handled, even after its death. Call your veterinarian for more information on how to handle the situation.

Exposure to an infected pet also can mean costly treatments for pet owners.

In 2012, a Reynolds County family faced more than $10,000 in treatment after handling unvaccinated puppies who were attacked by a rabid skunk.

It kills 55,000 people per year worldwide. While spread through bites, exposure also can occur through contamination of broken skin or mucus membranes with saliva of an infected animal.

For information on rabies, visit cdc.gov/rabies.

Pertinent address:

Greenville, MO