STURTEVANT – Racine County Public Well being Division has issued a public advisory following the affirmation of a rabies-positive bat.

The bat was found in a rural space of the county, captured, and despatched for laboratory testing. Racine County Public Well being (RCPH) investigated and carried out obligatory measures, together with quarantining and vaccinating animals that will have had contact with the contaminated bat.

The detection of rabies within the bat serves as a reminder of the continuing concern amongst public well being officers. Though rabies is uncommon in the US, it stays a severe menace as a result of important variety of animal bites skilled by a number of million People yearly.

Wildlife and rabies

Bats and different wild animals, equivalent to raccoons, foxes, coyotes and skunks, are frequent carriers of the rabies virus, sometimes transmitted via saliva or mind/nervous system tissue. Direct contact with these bodily fluids and tissues is required for transmission. Whereas rabies is deadly, it may be prevented with acceptable therapy.

Racine County Public Well being Division advises the general public to:

• Guarantee pets are updated on vaccinations and preserve correct vaccination information.
• Keep away from conserving wild or unique animals as pets.
• Chorus from dealing with wild animals.
• Educate kids concerning the significance of not approaching unfamiliar animals, together with others’ pets.
• Report any bat publicity, whether or not via bites or non-bite incidents, to a doctor promptly and notify the native well being division.
• Contact a veterinarian and the native well being division if a pet has been concerned in an altercation with a wild animal.

Sources

In case of a chew or scratch, people ought to instantly wash the wound with cleaning soap and water and search medical consideration from an area doctor throughout enterprise hours or contact native regulation enforcement after hours.

The next downloadable information are offered by the Wisconsin Division of Agriculture, Commerce and Shopper Safety.

The primary is a brochure with useful info for everybody. The second file is a coloring e book that can be utilized to assist train kids about security when coping with wildlife, particularly with this illness in thoughts.

For additional details about animal rabies, please contact your native well being division.

The rabies virus

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Denise Lockwood has an intensive background in conventional and non-traditional media. She has written for Patch.com, the Milwaukee Enterprise Journal, Milwaukee Journal and the Kenosha Information.
Extra by Denise Lockwood