Animal Rabies

Animal rabies is a reportable disease in Oklahoma. Rabies is a disease caused by the rabies virus. The rabies virus can affect the central nervous system of all warm-blooded mammals. Human rabies is very rare in the United States, but animal rabies, particularly in some wild animal species, is not uncommon. Rabies infections are almost always fatal once symptoms of the disease have begun.

Rabies virus is found only in the brain, spinal fluid, and saliva of infected animals. Transmission of the rabies virus can occur if any of these fluids or tissues from an infected animal enter the body through a bite, fresh opening of the skin that has not scabbed over, or mucous membrane (eyes, lining of the nose, or mouth). The following are not exposures to rabies: being scratched by the animal, contact with blood, urine, feces, dried saliva, petting or touching the hair of a rabid animal, touching bowls, lead ropes, gates, trailers, or other surfaces the rabid animal had contact with.

Take these important steps after any animal bite:

1. Wash all bite wounds immediately with soap and water, and continue washing for at least ten minutes.
2. Contact your health care provider as soon as possible. Animal bite wounds contain bacteria, so a tetanus booster and/or antibiotics may be needed.
3. If possible, safely catch or restrain the animal. Your local animal control or sheriff may be of assistance. Or, if the animal has an owner, get information about the animal's history of rabies vaccination and contact information about the owner.
4. Call the local county health department sanitarian to report animal bites. The sanitarian will help confirm the animal's condition and rabies vaccine status.
5. Call the Acute Disease Service Epidemiologist-on-Call (at 405-271-4060) for evaluation of the rabies risk and whether the rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should be started. Usually the PEP is delayed until the animal can be adequately evaluated, which may take 10 days or longer.
   • If a rodent or rabbit caused the bite, these are very low risk and rabies postexposure vaccination is usually not recommended
   • If the biting animal was a dog, cat, or ferret (not owned by the bite victim and not currently vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian), the animal should be quarantined with a licensed veterinarian for ten days.
   • Dogs, cats, and ferrets (not owned by the bite victim and currently vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian) may be allowed to be quarantined by the animal owner.
   • If the biting dog, cat or ferret dies or is euthanized during the ten day quarantine, it should be tested for rabies.
6. If the dog, cat, or ferret remains healthy after ten days, it was not infectious with rabies at the time the bite occurred.
7. If another species of animal caused the bite, the local county health
   department sanitarian should be contacted. Animals other than dogs, cats, or ferrets may need to be quarantined for 30 days under the care of a veterinarian, or euthanized and tested for rabies.

Persons bitten by an animal that tests positive test for rabies should always receive the rabies shots, also called post exposure prophylaxis (PEP). PEP consists of four doses of human rabies vaccine given in the arm muscle (or thigh for small children) and rabies immune globulin (RIG), which is given at the same time as the first vaccine dose. Although non-bite exposures rarely result in the transmission of rabies, PEP may be recommended in some circumstances. The Epidemiologist-on-Call may be consulted for recommendations based upon each individual case. Rabies shots are NOT recommended when the biting animal is in quarantine or available for testing.

Bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes have strains of rabies virus adapted to their species. The rabies viruses found in Oklahoma include the ones adapted to skunk and bats. All warm-blooded mammals including dogs, cats, horses, and cattle can become infected with rabies virus. Some mammals are more likely to be infected with rabies than others. Rodents (squirrels, hamsters, mice, rats, etc.), rabbits, and hares are very rarely infected and have never been known to cause rabies in humans in the United States. Birds, reptiles (snakes, turtles), and amphibians (frogs, toads) do not get rabies.

Skunks are the major animal reservoir of rabies in our state. When the skunk population increases (in six to eight year cycles), a rise in the number of animal rabies cases usually follows. This population cycle can sometimes result in as many as 240 cases of animal rabies in one year. Rabies is identified each year in a small number of bats, horses, cattle, cats, dogs, and other mammals as well.

The time interval between the exposure to the rabies virus and onset of the first symptoms can vary depending on several factors. These factors include how ill the animal was at the time of the exposure, the severity of exposure, the place on the body where the exposure occurred, and the age of the animal. For cats, dogs, and horses, this time interval is generally between three to eight weeks. However, symptoms may start as early as nine days or as long as six months after exposure to the rabies virus. For humans, the time interval is typically four to twelve weeks.

Most rabid animals will behave abnormally, but signs and symptoms vary. Rabid wild animals will often lose their fear of humans, and nocturnal animals may be abnormally active during the day. Rabid animals may stagger, or act lame or paralyzed. If an animal is displaying unusual behavior, or has symptoms suggestive of rabies, stay a safe distance away and call for help from the local animal control or sheriff. If a human or another animal is bitten or exposed to the body fluids containing rabies virus (saliva, spinal fluid or brain tissues), the only way to confirm if the animal has rabies is to have the brain tested at the State Public Health Laboratory - the only laboratory in Oklahoma that performs animal rabies testing. (There is no approved test for rabies in a live animal.)

In order to test an animal for rabies, the brain tissue must be undamaged. It is important to remember:

• Not to shoot the animal in the head
• Not to crush the skull of the animal
• To refrigerate (not freeze) the animal carcass as soon as possible until it can be delivered to a veterinarian for safe removal of the head. Then arrangements can be made to submit the head to the Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory for testing.
• Quickly send the head or brain to the Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory at 1000 NE 10th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299. A lab courier service may be used, or individuals can deliver the specimen themselves. Call the Epidemiologist-on-Call at 405-271-4060 for directions if needed. Specimens can be delivered any time of day, "24/7/365".

How can rabies be prevented?

• Be a responsible pet owner! Make sure all of your pets are current on their rabies vaccinations. Oklahoma state law requires that all dogs, cats, and ferrets be immunized against rabies by or under the supervision of a veterinarian by the age of four months. It is also recommended that horses and valuable livestock be vaccinated against rabies. Check to see how often your pet needs to be revaccinated to remain currently safe from rabies.
• Keep dogs and cats close to home. Dogs should be leashed or within a fenced-in area when outside. Cats should be kept in at night and not allowed to roam freely.
• If your pet comes into direct contact with a skunk or bat, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
• Do not keep wild animals as pets! Learn to enjoy them from a distance. If you see an injured wild animal, contact the nearest animal control agency or wildlife rehabilitation station to handle the situation. Teach children to avoid contact with animals that are unfamiliar to them, especially downed bats and stray dogs and cats.
• Discourage wild animals from inhabiting areas close to residences. Do not leave pet food outdoors for long periods of time, keep trash cans tightly sealed, keep brush piles cleared away from buildings, and seal chimneys.
• Bats found inside your home, whether alive or dead, should be tested for rabies. DO NOT release or dispose of the bat before contacting the local health department for advice.

Rabies Fact Sheets and Information:
Rabies ACIP Provisional Recommendations for the Prevention of Human Rabies, July 10, 2009 (25k.pdf)
Rabies Vaccine Information Statement (155k.pdf)
Rabies Postexposure Prophylaxis Assessment Algorithm (147k.pdf)
Rabies Fact Sheet (49k.pdf)
  Rabies Hoja Informativa (48k.pdf)
Bats and Rabies (70k.pdf)

Rabies Healthcare Provider Resources:
Guidelines for Management of Animal Bite Incidents and Possible Rabies Exposure in Humans and Animals (791k.pdf)
Rabies Laboratory Submission Instructions (192k.pdf)
Zoonotic Disease Control Rules, Ch. 599 (37k.pdf)

Rabies Surveillance Data and Statistics:

Current Year
Oklahoma Counties With Laboratory-Confirmed Animal Rabies Cases - 2009 (32k.pdf)
Map of Rabies Cases by County - 2009 (30k.pdf)
Number of Animal Rabies Cases by Month of Diagnosis, 2006-2009 (16k.pdf)

Previous Years
Rabies 2008 Surveillance Summary (29k.pdf)
Confirmed Cases of Rabies by Year 1980-2008 (11k.pdf)
Oklahoma Counties With Laboratory-Confirmed Animal Rabies Cases: 2000-2008 (980k.pdf)
Confirmed Cases of Rabies by Species 1992-2008 (86k.pdf)

External Rabies Resources:
CDC Rabies Prevention and Control Compendium 2008 (116k.pdf)
Human Rabies Prevention --- United States, 2008: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (758k.pdf)