In this file photograph from Oct. 2013, USDA wildlife biologist Erin Patrick holds fish-flavored packets of rabies vaccine before their distribution by helicopter. The vaccine is administered when animals bite into the baited packets. The USDA spent several days dropping bait-coated packets of rabies vaccine from a helicopter across Hamilton and Bradley counties to combat rabies in raccoons.REPORT SUSPICIOUS ANIMALSAnyone who sees a wild animal acting strangely or is overly-friendly should contact U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services at 866-4-USDAWS or 866-487-3297.RABIESAny mammal can get rabies. The most common carriers of rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes and coyotes. Among domestic mammals, cats, cattle and dogs are the most frequently infected.The rabies virus is transmitted through saliva or brain or nervous system tissue. The only way to contract the virus is by contact with these specific bodily excretions and tissues.If exposed, decisions should not be delayed.• Wash any wounds immediately. One of the most effective ways to decrease the chance for infection is to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water.• See a doctor for any trauma care from an animal attack before considering the need for rabies vaccination. The doctor, possibly in consultation with the state or local health department, will decide if a rabies treatment is needed.• Decisions to start vaccination, known as post-exposure prophylaxis, will be based on the type of exposure and the animal the person was exposed to, as well as laboratory and surveillance information for the geographic area where the exposure occurred.• In the U.S., treatment consists of one dose of immune globulin and four doses of rabies vaccine over a 14-day period. Current vaccines are relatively painless and are given in the arm, like a flu or tetanus vaccine.Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Parts of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama in the Chattanooga region are being targeted for rabies vaccination bait drops this fall in an overall battle against the disease and to fight off what federal officials say is a “small outbreak” in Northeast Alabama.
Officials in Jackson County, Ala., since May have documented five cases of rabies — a domestic dog, a fox and three raccoons — sparking rabies concerns particularly in a 10-mile radius around Scottsboro where several people were exposed to animals suspected of having the rabies virus.
Jackson County Health Department environmentalist Nancy Webb said four people who were exposed had to undergo treatment, but there have been no confirmed human cases of the virus.
Carol Bannerman, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said the bait drops are part of a much larger effort that started last week throughout several states east of the Mississippi River.