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RABIES, ANIMAL - USA (MULTISTATE)

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All Clear on Funger Hall Rabid Bat Alert

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The [George Washington] University has completed its investigation of 

the discovery of a brown bat found unconscious on the 5th floor of 

Funger Hall (2201 G Street, NW) in the early morning of Mon 27 Aug 

2007. The bat was safely removed by University Police and placed in 

the possession of D.C. Animal Control.



The University learned late Thursday night, 30 Aug 2007, that the bat 

subsequently tested positive for rabies. The University has no 

knowledge of any human contact with the bat and is not aware of any 

other bats in the building.



University and Medical Center officials swept Funger and Duques Halls 

and turned up no evidence of any other bats in the building. The 

University also enlisted the service of an outside pest control firm 

to search both buildings. Upon completion of that inspection, 

Saturday morning, 1 Sep 2007, the contractor reported no evidence of 

bats in the buildings and believes the bat found in Funger Hall was a 

random occurrence from a bat that accidentally entered the building, 

possibly through an open window.



As always, all persons are advised to avoid contact with any wild 

animals, including raccoons, foxes, and bats.  If one is seen, please 

call the University Police Department at 202-994-6111 on the Foggy 

Bottom Campus and at 202-242-6111 on the Mount Vernon Campus.



The D.C. Department of Health (DOH) indicates an increased presence 

of bats in homes this summer. Read the D.C. DOH press release.



For information about bats and rabies, please visit the Centers for 



if additional information becomes available.



--

Jennifer Shields





- Mod.TG]



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Rabies case confirmed in Comfort, TX

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A raccoon killed by a dog in Comfort has tested positive for rabies, 

according to Kendall County officials.



On Monday [27 Aug 2007, Kendall authorities were called to a 

residence on Valley View Trail in Comfort after a woman saw her dog 

fighting with a raccoon. The raccoon's remains were taken to 

Metropolitan Health District Laboratories in San Antonio, where it 

tested positive for rabies. The woman's dog was current on its rabies 

immunizations, but received a booster shot and is under quarantine for 45 days.



This is the 5th documented case of rabies in Kendall County this 

year. In Kerr County, there have been 3 documented cases. The first 

Kerr case was in May [2007] when a Mexican free-tail bat was found 

dead on the ground at Schreiner University by an 11-year-old and his 

mother. Kerr County animal control director Janie Roman said there 

and a cat in far west Kerr County.



Rabies is transmitted through the saliva of the infected animal 

either by a bite or through an open wound. Rabies is a viral disease 

that almost always is fatal to unvaccinated animals. Animals 

suspected of rabies are quarantined, and upon showing signs of 

rabies, the animals are tested.



Inside the city of Kerrville, pet owners are required to have their 

animals vaccinated annually for rabies. Outside the city, 

vaccinations are required every 3 years.



--



- Mod.TG]



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Rabid bats found in Illinois

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The state has confirmed bat rabies in record numbers this summer. 

Through 29 Aug 2007, 79 Illinois bats have tested positive for 

rabies, including 21 from Cook County [Chicago area]. McHenry, Lake, 

Cook, Will and Kane counties have accounted for nearly 60 percent of 

the state totals.



A New Lenox bat has been confirmed as Will County's 6th case of 

wildlife rabies for 2007. The animal was found by a worker at a New 

Lenox office facility late Monday [27 Aug 2007], and Will County 

Animal Control shipped it for testing early Tuesday [28 Aug 2007]. A 

rabies confirmation was received Tuesday evening.



Investigations conducted by the Will County Health Department and 

Animal Control confirm that no human exposures resulted from the 

Monday incident. However, animal control conducted door-to-door 

public information activities Wednesday in an effort to minimize the 

potential for additional exposures, and enhance community awareness. 

The New Lenox Police Department also participated in the Wednesday canvass.



Bats found in Plainfield, Joliet, Naperville, Bolingbrook and Beecher 

have also tested positive for rabies this year [2007]. All 6 

confirmations have occurred since 2 Aug 2007.



"More local confirmations are certainly a possibility," said Will 

County Animal Control Administrator Lee Schild. "We're certainly 

hoping we can minimize the likelihood of human exposures that would 

require post-exposure rabies shots. We know that July, August and 

September are the busy months for bat rabies confirmations. It's 

vital that people understand the risks associated with coming in 

contact with bats or other wildlife."



Rabies is a fatal viral disease which can be transmitted to humans 

through the bite of an infected, warm-blooded animal. Bats have 

accounted for more than 96 percent of all Illinois animal rabies 

cases reported since 1996.



"Our message is simple," Schild said. "It's critical that people 

report any contact with bats to Will County Animal Control at (815) 

462-5633) as quickly as possible. Children should be made aware of 

the risk and taught not to come in contact with wild animals, or 

unfamiliar domestic animals or that matter. And, pet dogs and cats 

need to be vaccinated against rabies."



--



Will County is near Chicago. - Mod.TG]



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North County [California] residents exposed to rabid bats

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The recent exposure of 3 people to rabid bats has prompted county 

health authorities to warn North County residents not to touch them 

dead or alive. The 3 (1 near Poway and 2 others in Escondido), came 

in contact with bats that later tested positive for rabies, the 

county Health and Human Services Agency reported. All 3 have begun 

receiving vaccinations for the potentially fatal disease.



According to Gundula Dunne, veterinary medical officer for the county 

veterinarian's office, 8 bats have tested positive for rabies this 

year [2007], but typically 5 to 15 test positive annually. In the 

wild, less than 1 percent of bats test positive for rabies, she 

added. Though the 3 most recent cases have all occurred in North 

County, bats test positive for rabies throughout the region, Dunne 

said.  "Throughout the county they have bats, even in surprisingly 

urban areas," she said.



Symptoms of the virus in humans include fever, sleepiness, agitation 

and excessive salivation, authorities said. It can take anywhere from 

several weeks to more than a year for people to develop symptoms, 

said Michele Ginsberg, chief of the Community Epidemiology Branch of 

the county's Health and Human Services Agency. It may also be 

difficult to detect when someone has been bitten, Ginsberg said.  "A 

person may not be conscious that they've been bitten by a bat," she 

said. "Their teeth are so tiny and the bite so minor in appearance 

that it can't be detected."



Cindy Myers of the Bat Rescue of Southern California said too often 

people are not careful when they are around bats. "Because bats are 

so tiny, people don't show the same caution" as they do with other 

wild animals, said Myers, who was one of the 3 aforementioned people 

recently exposed to rabid bats.



Myers said there is an increase in bats seen now because the majority 

are born in July, so there are a lot of juveniles "bumbling around 

... like putting a teen on the freeway." San Diego County is home to 

half the nation's species of bats, she added. Bats that come in 

contact with people must be tested for rabies, she said. Her 

organization rescues bats that have not [come in contact with people].



According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is 

difficult to tell if bats have rabies because the disease can only be 

confirmed through lab tests. However, the agency reported, bats are 

more likely to be rabid if they are active during the day, or in a 

place where they are not regularly seen -- such as indoors or on a 

lawn -- or unable to fly.



Anyone who is bitten by a bat or whose eyes, nose, mouth or wounds 

come in contact with infectious material such as the animal's saliva 

should wash the area and seek medical advice, the agency said. People 

cannot become infected by rabies by touching bat feces, blood, urine 

or by touching the animal's fur.



Owners should vaccinate pets against rabies, and pets should be 

re-vaccinated within 48 hours if bitten.



Dunne, of the county veterinarian's office, advised residents to 

respect bats in their natural habitat, adding that many of them are 

protected or endangered. It's important, she said, "not to be overly 

concerned about bats, but to be concerned with contacting them. The 

best thing, like with any wild animal, is ... not to interfere with 

them," she said. "If there's no contact, there's no risk."



For more information on bats and bat rescue, visit



[Byline Sarah Wilkins

]



--



California, North San Diego County (locally referred to as North 

County) refers to the northern portion of San Diego County.



In of these articles, rabies seems to be a disease that people do not 

think much about, yet it is a fatal disease transmitted by the saliva 

of infected animals, including bats, dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and 

any mammal.  Domestic pets, including horses and cattle should be 

vaccinated against the disease. Some states require a 3-year vaccine, 

some states require a 1-year vaccine. Ask your veterinarian which 

vaccine is required and how often it is recommended to re-vaccinate 

your pet or livestock. A vaccination is very cheap insurance against 

a fatal disease for you, your family and your pets or animals. - Mod.TG]



Rabies, beaver, human - USA (MD)  20070823.2769

Rabies, feline, human exposure - USA (SC)  20070727.2415

Rabies, human, canine - USA (CO)  20070622.2011

Rabies, rodent - USA (OR)  20070608.1870

Rabies, canine - USA (AK)  20070529.1736

Rabies, human, animal - USA (FL, NC, SC)  20070529.1722

Rabies, bat, human exposure - USA (WY)  20070518.1579

Rabies, canine - USA (GA)  20070510.1503

Rabies, equine, skunks - USA (TX)  20070510.1502

Rabies, raccoon - USA (NY)  20070506.1471

Rabies, canine, human exposure - USA (VA)  20070503.1433

Rabies, skunks - USA (TX)  20070503.1431

Rabies, equine - USA (NH)  20070426.1364

Rabies, canine, human post exposure treatment - USA (NC)  20070104.0040

Rabies, coyote - USA (PA)  20070101.0002]

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