State Lab Confirms Coyote in Prowers County Had Rabies
June 19, 2007, DENVER - The laboratory of the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has
confirmed a rabies-positive coyote from Prowers County. This
is the first coyote to test positive for rabies in Colorado
in at least 30 years according to John Pape, an
epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment.
The coyote was shot after attacking a person on June 15.
The coyote was submitted to the state lab for rabies testing
on June 18. The person bitten by the coyote is currently
undergoing preventative rabies treatment.
“As a result of the positive rabies test on the animal,
Prowers County Public Health has placed a public health
order for Prowers County requiring dogs and cats in the
county to be up to date on rabies vaccinations,” said Jackie
Brown, director, Prowers County Public Health Nursing
Service. “All dogs and cats in the county must have
documentation of a current rabies vaccination within 30 days
of the order being issued.”
“Under Colorado law, rabies vaccinations must be
administered by a licensed veterinarian,” said Pape. “Owners
cannot administer vaccinations themselves.”
“We encourage pet owners to contact their veterinarian
immediately to get pets up to date on their vaccinations,”
added Brown. “It is a simple and effective way to protect
your pets and family from this deadly disease.”
Brain tissue from the coyote is being sent to a U.S.
Centers for Disease Control laboratory for typing of the
rabies strain. The CDC lab has tests that can tell if a
rabies strain is from a bat, skunk, Mexican dog or other
animal, giving a clue as to how the coyote was infected.
“In the past, isolated rabies cases in animals have
turned out to be a bat strain, usually meaning the infected
animal found and ate a bat,” said Pape. Bat strains of
rabies virus have limited risk of becoming established in
other animal species and spreading to other wildlife and
pets.
“However, given the location in the southeastern corner
of the state, it is possible that this case could be a skunk
strain of rabies,” explained Pape. The skunk strain is
commonly found in Kansas and Oklahoma, and has occasionally
showed up in eastern Colorado.
“If this turns out to be a skunk variant strain, then
people need to be alert for other infected animals in the
area. If skunk rabies has re-entered Colorado and is
circulating in the area, it would greatly increase the risk
of rabies being transmitted to pets or livestock,” he added.
“This is why the county has enacted the public health order,
and it is important for owners to keep their pets’
vaccinations current.”
Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system of
humans and other mammals, resulting in a fatal disease. The
virus is shed in the saliva of infected animals. People and
animals get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal or
contact with saliva from such an animal.
To prevent possible exposure to rabies, state health
experts warned Coloradans to keep their pets’ vaccinations
up to date, leave bats and other wildlife alone and, if they
suspect a family member or pet has been bitten, to hold the
animal for possible rabies testing.
Pape said that rabies in bats is quite common in
Colorado, with 30 to 60 confirmed cases each year. However
rabies in animals such as skunks, raccoons, foxes and
domestic animals is rare. Cases of rabies found in Colorado
in cats, foxes, skunks and cattle over the past 20 years
have been due to exposures to bats or have been imported
from states where rabies is more prevalent. In 2005, a rabid
fox was reported in Otero County, after it was observed
trying to attack two large dogs in broad daylight. It was
shown to have a bat strain of rabies virus. The last human
case of rabies in Colorado was back in 1931. “Bats and other
wildlife should not be handled. If a wild animal allows a
person to approach and handle it, the animal is probably ill
or injured and will bite in self-defense. A healthy animal
usually will remain well-hidden and avoid human contact,”
said Pape.
Other signs of rabies in animals include abnormal
behavior such as nocturnal species being active in the day;
animals approaching humans or other animals; difficulty with
walking or movement; and unusual vocalization (such as
excessive bellowing in cows or hissing/chirping in bats).
Such signs are an indication the animal is ill. Some animals
with rabies will be very aggressive (furious rabies) while
others may appear almost catatonic (dumb rabies). Pets
should be examined by a veterinarian. Suspected rabid
animals should be avoided and reported to the local
authorities.
For more information, contact the local county health
department at 719-336-8721 or the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment at 303-692-2700. |
