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Rabies Control
OC Animal Care
Rabies is a
public health issue because it is a viral disease that is
fatal in mammals, including man and domestic pets (dogs,
cats, livestock). It is transmitted by the bite or
scratch of an infected animal through their saliva.
Rabies is preventable in domestic animals through routine
vaccination, but is not curable after the onset of
symptoms.
Bites
by animals that can carry rabies
When any
warm-blooded animal breaks the skin of a human with its
teeth or nails, the human may be exposed to rabies. This
is not a statement of the animal’s behavior or of a
person’s negligence or liability, it is a public health
issue for the prevention of a fatal disease called rabies.
Quarantine:
OC Animal Care requires
that the animal involved in a bite or a scratch to be
quarantined for 10 days. If the animal remains healthy for
the 10-day period, it cannot have been shedding the rabies
virus in its saliva at the time of the scratch or bite.
Types
of quarantines:
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Pet
vs. wildlife: When a pet dog/cat has
come in physical contact with a wild mammal.
E.g. skunk, bat, raccoon, etc.
OC Animal Care enforces the State laws that require
all animals involved in a bite or scratch on a human to be
quarantined for a period of 10 days after the date of
bite. If the animal remains healthy for the 10 day
period the State of California, Veterinary Public Health
Section, has advised it could not have been shedding the
rabies virus in its saliva at the time of bite.
If bitten by
an animal immediately wash the wound with soap and water,
contact your physician. Prevention and education are
the keys to keeping you and your family safe from disease.
Questions or Further Information:
If you have any questions regarding animal bites or rabies contact your local health department or the Orange County Rabies Control Clerk at (714) 935-6106 Monday through Friday or (714) 935-7158 after 5:30pm daily and on weekends.
Rabies
Virus
Rabies is a
disease caused by a virus (Lyssavirus) found in the
saliva of infected animals and is transmitted to other
warm blooded animals, including humans by a bite, scratch
or possible by contamination of an open cut. Deadly
and costly, rabies ranks as one of the top zoonotic
diseases in the United States and the world.
Symptoms
Rabies virus
infects the central nervous system (CNS), causing
encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms
of rabies are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache,
and general malaise. As the disease progresses,
neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia,
anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis,
excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation,
difficulty swallowing and hydrophobia (fear of water).
Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.
Prevention
Rabies is a
preventable disease. Modern day prophylaxes have
proven nearly 100% successful. In the United States,
human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people
who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they
are unaware of their exposure. Over the last 100
years, rabies in the United has changed dramatically.
More than 90% of all animal cases reported to the Center
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now occur in
wildlife; before 1960 the majority of cases were reported
in domestic animals. The principal rabies hosts
today are bats, skunks, raccoons and foxes. The
decline in cases of domestic animals is attributed to
animal control programs and vaccination of companion
animals.
How
you can help
Prevention and
education are the keys to keeping you and your family safe
from the disease. Listed below are ways to prevent
exposure
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Vaccinate
your pets. Dogs are required to be vaccinated
for rabies at 4 months of age. Cats can be
vaccinated as early as 8 weeks. The first
rabies vaccine is effective for 1 year, then should
be re-vaccinated every 3 years.
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The
Animal Care Center provides low cost
Rabies Clinics on the first Tuesday of each month,
from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Contact your local
veterinarian, who may offer low cost vaccination
clinics. Low cost clinics may also be available at
local pet centers.
Orange
County Rabies Control Clerk:
Telephone:
(714) 935-6106 |
