LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas has had more rabies confirmations this year than in each of the past 10 years, and the 2012 rabies season isn’t over.
A particularly mild winter could be behind the 86 confirmed cases so far, state public health veterinarian Susan Weinstein said.
The only active host strains in Arkansas are found in bats and skunks, and those animals are typically more active in warmer months. With more animal activity, more cases of the virus can appear. Weinstein said she saw the first confirmed cases of rabies this year in January, which is unusual.
Arkansas confirmed 60 cases in 2011, and it’s not the only state with an increase. New Mexico has confirmed 34 cases so far compared with 19 in all of 2011, and Kansas has seen 38 cases already, surpassing the 31 confirmed last year, according to data from the states’ health departments.
Arkansas law requires all dogs and cats to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian by the time they are 4 months old.
“We’re pleading with the public to actually follow the law and vaccinate their animals - even livestock, cattle, horses. If they are potentially exposed to skunks, they should be vaccinated,” Weinstein said.
Boone, Newton and Searcy counties, all adjacent to one another in the northern part of the state, have the most confirmations this year with 13, 12 and seven cases, respectively.
Keith Counts, owner of Critter Getters, a nuisance wildlife-control company, said the wildlife is more active this season, and he’s definitely aware of the uptick in rabies cases. He regularly handles wild animals. He said he’s scared of rabies but he’s more afraid of needles, which is why he doesn’t get the preventive shots, even though he knows he should.
“That’s a fact of life. I run the risk of getting rabies all the time,” Counts said. “I just thank the Lord that most of the time I get bit I feel confident it’s not rabid.”
He said he avoids directly handling bats whenever possible to lower his risk.
Last week, a dog that had killed a skunk in Saline County was confirmed as having rabies. The dog didn’t get sick for six weeks, and in that time, 17 people were exposed to the pet. The puppy’s owners thought they couldn’t vaccinate dogs until the animals were 6 months old, Weinstein said.
The Centers for Disease Control declared in 2007 that the strain of rabies that developed specifically in dogs had been eliminated. Still, Weinstein said, humans who become infected usually do so through contact with pets that have contracted the disease through a wild animal. While people try to avoid skunks and bats, they handle and are close to their pets, which makes vaccinating them crucial, she said.
Weinstein said rabies tends to be more of a problem in rural Arkansas, where pets have more freedom of movement and are not as likely to have been vaccinated. She said indoor pets tend to be vaccinated more often even though they tend to be exposed less often to rabid animals.
The rabies virus affects brain tissue and is almost always deadly to animals. The first symptoms are usually changes in behavior, followed by staggering, convulsions, choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis.
By the time symptoms show up, the virus has a nearly 100percent mortality rate in humans, although it is fairly easy to cure if treated soon after infection. If someone is exposed to bats, skunks or any animal that shows signs of being rabid, he is advised to see a doctor as soon as possible. Rabies can be spread only from saliva coming in contact with blood.
Rabies treatment in humans typically exceeds $1,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Pre-symptomatic treatment after exposure consists of an antibody shot, followed by four vaccines over 14 days, according to the centers.
The state Department of Health advises people to keep family pets indoors at night, bat-proof their home, and teach their children to stay away from wild animals and to tell an adult if they are bitten.
Front Section, Pages 1 on 07/02/2012