THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, July 3, 1994                   TAG: 9407020134
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER       PAGE: 07   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY DELORIS MOYLER, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   48 lines

DOG EXPOSED TO RABID RACCOON; INCIDENT IS 9TH CASE SINCE 1988

A yellow Labrador retriever was exposed to a rabid raccoon recently in the Jolliff Road area of Chesapeake, said Paul H. Sandman, the city's environmental health manager.

The June 24 incident is the ninth confirmed rabies case in Chesapeake since 1988. The others involved a cat, a bat and seven raccoons.

The dog's owner reported the incident to the Animal Control Bureau, which notified the city's Health Department, Sandman said. Officials found that the dog's vaccination was current and a booster was given. The pet has been placed under observation for 90 days.

``When animals are placed under observation, we observe to check for any signs that the nervous system has been attacked,'' Sandman said. ``We look for behavioral changes or paralysis. Also, we look for other neurological signs such as convulsions or coma.''

Although rare in humans, rabies can be lethal.

``Ninety-nine percent of the time, if symptoms develop, it's too late,'' Sandman said.

The following precautions are recommended to avoid exposure to rabies:

Keep pets' rabies shots up to date. Pets can be a direct link between humans and the wild animal population, where the rabies virus resides. Pet vaccination forms an immune barrier that protects not only the pet, which may be exposed to a rabid wild animal, but it also protects humans who can be exposed to the pets.

Prevent animal bites and scratches.

Discourage wild animals from coming near homes, especially raccoons. This means keeping garbage cans tightly covered and removing pet food promptly after feeding pets.

Never handle or keep wild animals as pets.

Warn children to admire wild animals only from a safe distance.

``These are just good common sense to avoid the spread of rabies,'' Sandman said. ``The virus can spread to other animals and humans by animal bites or if a rabid animal slicks his paws and scratches another animal.''

There also have been 19 cases in Virginia Beach and 13 cases in Suffolk since the disease began spreading from Northern Virginia in the late 1970s. In 1993, there was a 7 percent increase over 1992 in rabies cases statewide. by CNB