THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604110311
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Two pet dogs killed a rabid raccoon this week, adding to what authorities describe as a regional rabies epidemic.
The dogs were in a fenced yard in the 2200 block of Land of Promise Road in the city's Great Bridge section Saturday when they attacked the infected raccoon, city Health Department officials reported Wednesday.
Both pets had been vaccinated against the deadly disease, so they are safe. They're being quarantined at home for 90 days.
But Health Department officials are renewing their calls for people to get rabies shots for their pets and to follow simple precautions, such as not touching stray animals.
``What we want to do is create respect and understanding,'' for the disease, said F.J. Bolshazy, Norfolk's rabies prevention coordinator and a regional expert on the epidemic.
So far this year, 25 incidents of rabies have been reported in Hampton Roads, which Bolshazy said includes the Eastern Shore.
``If we continue in the trend we are in now, we have the potential of seeing 72 cases or more identified in Hampton Roads'' in 1996, he said.
That would be the highest number of cases reported in a year by the Health Department since 1953.
The epidemic has been brewing since 1979, Bolshazy said, a product of overpopulation of some wild animal species, particularly raccoons. From 1980 to 1990, only seven cases of rabies were reported in the region.
Last year, there were 58. Fifty of the infected animals were raccoons, four were bats, three were cats and one was a skunk.
Rabies is a fatal disease caused by a virus that invades an animal's nervous system. It is transmitted through a bite or a scratch, or when the saliva of infected animals or humans comes into contact with open wounds or mucous membranes. There is no cure.
Bolshazy said humans can protect themselves through simple precautions, such as vaccinating pets.
``We're building a barrier,'' he said. ``Our domestic animals will come into contact with wild animals first. Then they'll come into the house and come into contact with human beings. If we can get them protected, then we'll have a barrier between the wild animals and the human beings.''
Beyond that, Bolshazy said, people are just going to have to wait until nature takes care of the overpopulation of wild animal species. ILLUSTRATION: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Keep pets confined to your home or yard.
Keep them up-to-date on rabies vaccinations. City health
departments hold free rabies clinics throughout the year. The next
one is scheduled for Virginia Beach on May 11. For more information,
call your city health department. (Virginia Beach, 431-3450;
Chesapeake, 436-8672; Norfolk, 683-2710; Portsmouth, 396-6970;
Suffolk, 925-2311).
Keep your yard free of food that could attract wildlife.
Don't handle stray animals or wildlife.
Tell your children to report any animal bites or scratches.
Report stray or unvaccinated animals.
Report all animal bites to your city's animal control or health
department.
by CNB