Rabies? Is it a problem anymore?
Some fellow guides have mentioned recent encounters with bats. Here is a recent story.
Sunday at 5:00 am when I finally turned on the light to figure out why the cat was tearing around the room, there was a bat flying around! Jesse (my cat) chased it under the blanket, which caused me to leap from bed faster than I've ever gotten out of bed in my life. I managed to catch the darn thing in a Tupperware container and take it outside. Phew!
Last night I'm sitting in the easy chair in my bedroom when I notice Jesse carrying on under the bed. I lift up the dust ruffle and out flies another bat! This time I called my neighbors and they came over with a net. The three of us (four counting the bat :0 ) were in my bedroom and the bat was flying around the room. Carol screamed and fell to the floor, I ran out and closed the door, and Jim yelled that we were really a big help. Heh heh. He finally trapped the bat in the net and picked it up in his hand (with a heavy glove on) and we put it in the Tupperware container. He let it go outside. - Debby (going batty)
Unfortunately for Debby, the bats were released. Their health status was unknown. Since they are not available for rabies testing, she had to undergo an expensive series of Rabies vaccinations and an immunoglobin shot to protect herself from this incurable and fatal disease.
And from the former Guide to Senior Living, Donna Yeaw:
Now in PA (North Central) - Allegheny National Forest. We have bats flying around in the backyard during the summer evenings.
Rabies is a real threat -- in the United States and in many countries of the world. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
"Each year,
it (Rabies) kills more than 50,000 people and millions of animals around the
world. Rabies is a big problem in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
In the United States, rabies has been reported in every state except Hawaii."
- CDC
fast facts
Read on for more information about this fatal viral diseases of animals and humans.
What is Rabies?
Rabies is a zoonotic
disease, a disease that is transmissible from animals to humans. Rabies
is a virus known to affect all mammals, including humans. Most commonly, rabies
is found in carnivores (meat-eating animals) and insect-eating bats.
The word rabies is from the Latin, "to rage". The classic image of a wild rabid animal is one that is frothing at the mouth, ready to attack anything and everything. This is a stage of rabies called "furious rabies". What is lesser known is another stage of rabies called "dumb rabies". This is where the animal appears sedate, not vicious, and the main sign seen is one of drooling and varying degrees of paralysis. In other words, what should be a wild animal (raccoon, skunk, coyote, etc.) appears "tame" and a nocturnal animal is seen calmly approaching humans in the daylight. This is a big danger to those people who are inclined to pet these animals.
Next page: How is Rabies spread?
Text: Copyright © Janet Tobiassen Crosby. All rights reserved.
