Cow near Kingston dies after contracting rabies

The Arkansas Department of Health announced Tuesday a cow infected with rabies died last week near Kingston in Madison County. The death is the 16th reported rabid animal death in 2013.

The majority of animals infected with rabies in Arkansas are skunks and bats, and are generally found in rural areas. Dr. Sue Weinstein, Arkansas State Public Health Veterinarian, said that populations of both animals in Arkansas tend to run in a diagonal band from the northeastern corner to the southwestern corner of the state.

The Arkansas Department of Health reported 131 confirmed instances of rabies in Arkansas in 2012, nearly three times the annual state average. Weinstein said there was no consensus explanation for the increase, although the unusually warm 2011-2012 winter likely contributed to the anomaly.

Rabid cows are rare. Weinstein said that from 1990 to 2012, 23 cows tested positive for rabies in Arkansas.

The Public Health Laboratory in Little Rock is the state’s only official rabies testing facility. Weinstein said the laboratory tests about 1,000 animals each year.

According to information from the Arkansas Department of Health, the fatal rabies virus lives in the saliva and brain tissue of infected animals, and attacks the brain and spinal cord of its host.

Rabies fatalities in humans are extremely rare. The last known rabies fatality in Arkansas happened in 2004, resulting from a bite from a rabid bat.

Weinstein said that the incubation period for the rabies virus in humans ranges from weeks to months, with an average period of four to six weeks from exposure to a resultant illness. While that gives individuals plenty oftime to receive vaccinations after possible exposure, Weinstein cautioned that once a patient begins experiencing symptoms of the rabies virus, it is typically too late to treat.

Symptoms in animals with the rabies virus include unusual behavior, gradually leading to depression or partial paralysis, according to the health department. It says behavioral symptoms vary between animals-cows often develop a “hoarse bellow,” while sheep may begin tearing out their own wool.

The agency advises Arkansans to reduce their risk of exposure to the rabies virus by making sure rabies vaccinations for domestic pets are up to date, by avoiding contact with wild animals, and bykeeping family pets indoors at night.

Individuals who think they may have been exposed to the rabies virus should contact their physician or local county health unit immediately.