Bat was removed from a home while others were sleeping. Westchester County requires anytime bats are found in a home and the chance someone could of been bit that the homes occupants receive rabies shots.We were hired to find the offending bat, in order to prevent the shots and fix the homes bat problem in their attic.
For more on rabies:
Here is our service area in Westchester County, New York:
MAWALK,ARDSLEY,ARDSLEY-ON-HUDSON,ARMONK,BALDWIN PLACE,BEDFORD,BEDFORD HILLS,BRIARCLIFF MANOR,BRONXVILLE,BUCHANAN,CHAPPAQUA,CORTLANDT MANOR,CROMPOND,CROSS RIVER,CROTON FALLS,CROTON-ON-HUDSON,CRUGERS,DOBBS FERRY,EASTCHESTER,ELMSFORD,GARRISON,GOLDENS BRIDGE,GRANITE SPRINGS,HARRISON,HARTSDALE,HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON,HAWTHORNE,IRVINGTON,JEFFERSON VALLEY,KATONAHLARCHMONT,LINCOLNDALE,MAMARONECK,MARYKNOLL,MILLWOOD,MOHEGAN LAKE,MONTROSE,MOUNT KISCO,MOUNT VERNON,NEW ROCHELLE,NORTH SALEM,NORTH TARRYTOWN,OSSINING,PEEKSKILL,PELHAM,PLEASANTVILLE,PORT CHESTER,POUND RIDGE,PURCHASE,PURDYS,RYE,RYE BROOK,SCARBOROUGH,SCARSDALE,SHENOROCK,SHRUB OAK,SOMERS ,SOUTH SALEM,TARRYTOWN,THORNWOOD,TUCKAHOE,VALHALLA,VERPLANCK,WACCABUC,WHITE PLAINS,YONKERS,YORKTOWN HEIGHTS
Rabies.
History.
Rabies has existed perhaps since life on earth began. It is considered by some to be Satan’s contribution to Genesis. It was described 4,000 years ago in the pre-Mosaic code of Mesopotamia. Homer and Aristotle wrote of it centuries Before Christ. A method of treatment was offered in the Babylonian Talmus in 500 A.D. A victim was instructed to “Drink only from a copper tube” “lest he see the shadow of the demon” in the water and fear going near the water, which of course refers to (hydrophobia).
In the early years of America’s colonization the cry “Mad Dog!” sent men scurrying for their weapons.
Rabies Incubation period:
The incubation period is usually several weeks to months, but can range from days to years.
Rabies Stages/Symptoms. There are three stages of the disease, each with its own symptoms:
1. Prodromal.
There is a high fever (102+), nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, sore throat, a cough, depression,and restlessness. There is pain, tingling, and burning at the site of exposure. This lasts one to four days.
2. Encephalitic.
There is excessive restlessness, uncontrollable excitement, confusion, hallucinations, combativeness, muscles spasm, and the body assumes an arched, prone posture supported by the head and feet. There are eizures and focal paralysis. The fever rises to 105+. The sense of touch is excruciatingly painful, there is hypersensitivity to light and noise, even air disturbances. Tears, perspiration, and saliva flow.
Rabies Dysfunction.
There is double vision, facial palsies, and foaming at the mouth. Extreme thirst is common, but swallowing is painful or simply impossible. Finally there is complete paralysis, coma, and death. This last stage may span four to six days and describes what is called “furious” rabies, the most frequent type. Occasionally a victim will suffer “dumb” rabies named for the paralysis that affects voice muscles and soon thereafter breathing muscles causing death. “Dumb” rabies is noted most frequently but not exclusively after rabid bites by vampire bats.
Development of Rabies vaccines and RIG.
In 1884 Louis Pasteur developed a preventive vaccine and if administered immediately, and the dormancy period was long enough, it was usually effective in preventing infection but otherwise it was useless. On occasion the vaccine itself caused a fatal, anaphylactic reaction.
Prior to the 1970s a diagnosis of rabies invariably meant certain death. But in 1968 Dr. Victor Cabasso began experiments with a new treatment and succeeded four years later. This treatment involves the injection of previously developed rabies antibodies. But even today survivors suffer permanent damage to nerve and brain tissue.
If rabies treatment is not initiated before the onset of symptoms, death is almost always imminent. Five cases of survival of human rabies have been documented in individuals who had been previously vaccinated or received postexposure prophylaxis. The survival of a teenaged girl from Wisconsin received substantial attention in October 2004 as the first case of human survival of rabies in the absence of preceding vaccination or postexposure prophylaxis.
Rabies Statistics.
In 1953, 6,200 domestic animals were diagnosed with rabies. In 2006, that number dropped to 547.
Of 6,943 cases reported in 2006, 92% were in wild animals.
Every year 16,000 to 39,000 people receive post-exposure prophylaxis.
From 1946 to 1960 there were an average of 22 human cases per year.
Since then there’s been a high of 6 per year to a low of zero.
Hosts.
All warm blooded mammals are susceptible.
In 2006, there were 6,388 wild animal cases. Raccoons 38%, bats 24%, skunks 22%, foxes 6%, other 2% incl 66 mongoose in PR, 43 groundhogs, 30 bobcats, 10 coyotes, 6 deer, 4 otters, 2 opossums, 1 each rabbit, cougar, wolf hybrid and fisher.
Transmission.
Transmission is usually by a bite wound. But the lick of an infected though not necessarily symptomatic animal on a scratch, abrasion, open wound, or mucous membrane tissue (eyes, mouth, genitals) can transmit the virus.
Transmission thru the air via respiratory tract is now also known possible and it has occurred in the bat caves of Texas.
Rabies Significant incident anecdotes.
In 1993, New York confirmed rabies in 20 deer – 5 in 1992 – 3 in 1991.
Between 1992-2001 New York also confirmed rabies in 7 rabbits.
Rabies Geographic risk areas:
In 2006, 49 states, Puerto Rico, and DC reported rabies-infected animals.
Only Hawaii remains consistently rabies-free.
Treatment and rationale: The rationale for treatment depends on the answers to four questions:
Has the animal’s saliva entered subject’s body?
If not, little risk.
What was the vaccination status of the animal?
If vaccinated there is little risk, but if the animal’s behavior is abnormal get professional advice.
Is the animal likely to be rabid?
Carnivorous animals and bats are more likely to be rabid than non-carnivorous animals.
Was the animal provoked?
Most wild animals avoid human contact so one that bites should be considered rabid. >
A normally friendly domestic animal that bites w/o provocation should also be considered suspect.
Treatment:
New CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendation as of June 24, 2009: Administer RIG @ 20 IU/kg body weight + 4 rather than 5 shots of vaccine pm daus 0, 3, 7, and 14. Treatment also depends on whether there was pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Protective measures:
Everyone should take maximum safety precautions when handling dead or dying animals.
Wear gloves, avoid contact with saliva.
Leave even the cute, young, and apparently defenseless wild animals in their natural environment.
Vaccination for domestic animals is imperative.
