Ch 4: Section four:
What you need to know about wildlife diseases
Rabies
Protection on the job (and legally required actions)
Situations involving potentially rabid animals should take priority over all
other work.
Contact the local health department immediately
(that's your county health department or the district office of the State Health
Department). You must talk to them and follow their directions.
You must report bites or other exposures. (Even such details as how a specimen
is packaged matter, because you don't want to endanger anyone who may handle
the package).
Contact doctors and veterinarians as needed. Local police and dog control officers
may also help, especially in emergencies.
Follow these guidelines with all species:
- Use caution when approaching the suspect animal, because many are aggressive
and can bite even if paralyzed. Wear animal handling gloves and use restraining
devices to minimize contact with the animal. Avoid bites, scratches, and direct
skin contact. Handle dead animals with care, too, especially when your hands
are near their mouths.
- Restrain and isolate the suspect animal.
- The animal may be choking. Beware the impulse to clear the "obstruction"
from its throat! Do not put your hand in or near the animal's mouth.
- If rabies testing is required, you must kill the animal without damaging
its head. Brain tissue is needed for the rabies test; that's why the test
can't be done on a live animal. Even with this restriction, it's still possible
to humanely dispatch animals in most circumstances. For example, raccoons
and skunks can be captured in cage traps. The trap can then be placed in a
CO2 chamber and the animal can be euthanized. If the animal is
aggressive, and you're in an area where you can legally discharge a firearm,
you may prefer to restrain the animal with a catchpole and then shoot it in
the heart and lung area using a low caliber rifle or pistol. That method reduces
contact with the animal and may be safer for the operator.
- If you can't capture the suspect animal, describe the situation to the local
health department and the doctor in as much detail as possible. They'll want
to know which species was involved, how the animal was behaving, whether or
not the attack was provoked, and what type of first aid was administered.
Immediate medical care should be sought for the exposed person or pet.
- When you're done, disinfect any surfaces contaminated by the animal's fluids
or tissues with a 10% bleach solution (one part chlorine bleach to nine parts
water). You may want to mist spray your gloves with the bleach solution. Wear
protective gear, especially if using a power washer.
- Clean everything that might have been contaminated before you go to your
next job.
Additional guidelines for wildlife:
- Quarantine is not an option. There's no conclusive research data on safe
quarantine periods. The only way to be sure whether or not the animal is rabid
is to kill it and examine its brain tissue.
- Capture any bat that's been found in a room with a sleeping person, an unattended
child, a mentally impaired person, or an intoxicated person. That's demanded
by the NYS Health Department. Why? Children and impaired people might not
be aware, or be able to tell you whether they were bitten. In these cases,
talk to the local health department to determine if the bat needs to be killed
and tested for rabies. Don't release or discard any bat found in people's
living quarters, unless the possibility of human exposure has been absolutely
ruled out.
- Individual bats will sometimes enter a home in the evening, especially during
July or August. This doesn't mean there's a roost in that home. The bats may
just have wandered in, as wild animals, especially young ones, sometimes do
while exploring their territories or feeding. If you're sure that no person
or pet has had contact with the bat and it appears healthy, it can be released.
(Use a soft-sided container to scoop up the bat after it's landed. Plastic
yogurt containers or cardboard boxes are less likely to hurt the bat than
a metal coffee can).
Additional guidelines for domestic animals (cats, dogs,
ferrets) and livestock:
- There are vaccines to protect cats, dogs, ferrets, and livestock from rabies.
- A vaccinated domestic animal that's been exposed can receive a booster to
prevent it from developing rabies.
- An unvaccinated pet that's been exposed can be quarantined for six months
(at the owner's expense) and observed to determine whether or not it's infected.
The other option is to have the animal killed to avoid the possibility of
it developing rabies and exposing people or other animals later on.
Additional guidelines for exotic pets (such as monkeys,
gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, snakes, iguanas, birds):
- Only mammals get rabies. Not birds. Not reptiles (such as snakes, iguanas,
and turtles) or amphibians (frogs, salamanders).
- Even though they're living in a home, these are not domesticated species.
They're wild species that are native to another country. Again, unfortunately,
quarantine is not an option. If an exotic pet has been exposed, the health
department may require that it be killed and tested.
- A few species of common exotic pets, such as gerbils and guinea pigs, almost
never get rabies.
Prevention: rabies vaccinations
NWCOs and other people in high-risk jobs should get a rabies pre-exposure vaccine.
This consists of three shots. Your doctor should test your blood every two years
to determine whether you need a routine booster.
First aid and treatment after exposure
The importance of seeking immediate medical care for people and pets who have
been exposed to a potentially rabid animal cannot be overemphasized. This is
especially true if you can't capture the suspect animal, and have no way to
determine whether or not it was infected.
If anyone has been wounded, disinfect the wound by washing it thoroughly
with soap and warm water. (You can then apply Betadine, a liquid surgical soap
available in many drug stores). Cover the wound with a sterile bandage, then
apply direct pressure to control bleeding.
Have the animal tested for rabies. If the animal was rabid, everyone who was
exposed will need treatment (this includes pets and livestock). For someone
who received pre-exposure rabies vaccinations, the post-exposure treatment amounts
to two shots of rabies vaccine given three days apart.
Unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to the rabies virus will be given
six shots in a span of 28 days. Again, treatment must begin as soon as possible.
Emphasize to your customers that the shots are now given in the arm, not the
stomach. There's a good chance that your customers have heard and believed scary
stories about how horrible the rabies treatment is. That's not true! Calm them
down and persuade them to call their doctors right away. Call the local health
department and give them the contact information for anyone's who's been exposed.
Next
Section (Rabies: What your customers may want to know)
