DEM SAYS RABIES VIRUS REMAINS WIDESPREAD IN RHODE ISLAND

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DEM Rabies Info

DOH Rabies Info

News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462

For Release:	March 28, 2005
Contact:	Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402 Stephanie Powell 222-4700 ext. 4418

DEM SAYS RABIES VIRUS REMAINS WIDESPREAD IN RHODE ISLAND
Public Advised to Be Cautious, Vaccinate Pets, and Stay Away from Wildlife

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management says that although a fox in a Pawtucket neighborhood, one of several acting strangely, tested negative last week for rabies, it serves as a reminder to all Rhode Islanders that rabies remains prevalent throughout the state and that residents should continue to undertake sensible precautions. Those include: vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife, securing garbage, and not leaving pet food outside.

Rabid animals have been found in every community in Rhode Island, except New Shoreham. Target species include skunks, raccoons, foxes, woodchucks, and bats. Last year, DEM received nearly 1,300 rabies-related calls, such as residents having seen an animal acting strangely, and 139 of those calls, more than 10 percent, involved contact with a rabies-suspect animal. That was an increase of nearly 100 total rabies-related calls from those received the previous year by DEM. In addition, of 373 rabies-suspect animals tested at the RI Department of Health (HEALTH) in 2004, 45 were found to be rabid - 16 between January and June, and 29 between July and December. Three of those rabid animals were stray cats. Two additional animals - a skunk and a raccoon - tested positive for rabies this month. Currently, testing is done only when there has been a reasonable suspicion of contact between a suspected rabies carrier and a human or domestic animal.

Rabies virus is widespread among wildlife in Rhode Island. There have been close to 1,200 animals in Rhode Island, primarily skunks and raccoons, that have tested positive for rabies since the state's first confirmed case in 1994. The rabies virus is transmitted to humans through exposure to the saliva of a rabid animal. Rabies is an infection of the brain and nerves and is fatal in humans when untreated; however, treatment of humans soon after exposure is effective in preventing rabies infection. Last year, in a very public case, a baby raccoon harbored at the East Providence Animal Shelter tested positive for rabies. An estimated 30 to 50 individuals had been exposed to the animal and were encouraged to undergo a series of rabies immunoglobulins and vaccination shots as a precaution.

Protecting pets from rabies helps to maintain a barrier between humans and rabies in wildlife, and, under state law, dogs, cats, and ferrets must be regularly vaccinated against rabies. Vaccination takes place before any exposure, for, according to the Centers for Disease Control, protocols for the postexposure vaccination of previously unvaccinated domestic animals have not been validated, and evidence exists that use of vaccine alone will not prevent the disease.

The vaccination is available at any veterinary office. In addition, the RI Veterinary Medical Association is holding a series of low-cost rabies clinics in March, April, and May in number of communities around the state. Information about the rabies clinics can be found on the RI Veterinary Medical Association's website at www.rivma.org.

For more information on rabies, visit the DEM website, www.dem.ri.gov, and click on "Topics", then "Public Health". Information is also available on HEALTH's website, www.health.ri.gov, by clicking on "Health Topics", then "Rabies".

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