Michigan 11/17/09 upnorthlive.com: A Northern Michigan man is dead [of rabies] after officials say he was bitten by a bat. Officials with the District Health Department #10 say they can’t release many details on the case due to privacy issues, but say it happened in a northern county it serves. Counties covered by District #10 include Crawford, Kalkaska, Lake, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Missaukee, Newaygo, Oceana and Wexford. Health officials say they do not believe there is a danger of exposure to the public. The person was bitten several weeks ago and died last week. The last death due to rabies in Michigan was in 1983.
West Virginia 11/20/09 wvnst.com: The Mercer County Health Department reports another case of rabies. A raccoon tested positive for the disease in the Bluewell area. This makes the fifth confirmed case of rabies in Mercer County this year.
Florida 11/20/09 mysuncoast.com: On Thursday, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services received a report that a raccoon attacked two people in the 100 block of Rimini Way in Venice. The raccoon subsequently tested positive for rabies. Residents in the area should not feed or approach wildlife and should warn children to avoid animals they are not familiar with.
Kansas 11/19/09 kansas.com: A cat that bit a Wichita woman earlier this month has tested positive for rabies, city officials said, and they urged pet owners to have their animals vaccinated against the deadly disease. The woman was feeding strays on her porch in the 1100 block of South Inverness when the cat bit her foot, said Don Henry, environmental services manager for the city. City officials learned on Monday that the cat tested positive for rabies. Animal services workers canvassed the neighborhood near Lincoln and Woodlawn, reminding residents to update their pets’ rabies shots. The woman has been undergoing treatment under the care of her physician, Henry said. The cat is the seventh rabies case reported in Wichita this year, Henry said: five skunks and one dog also were found to have the disease.
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K.M. // November 23, 2009 at 12:58 pm |
States such as West Virginia and Kansas are two that do not allow the sale of rabies vaccine to the public. This blocks people from vaccinating wildlife before release, and vaccinating feral cats – not to mention the multitude of barn cats that people won’t take to a vet for shots. This economy is going to have yet another issue; less pet vaccinations and more rabies & distemper outbreaks in the coming years.
It would sure help if the American Vet Association would stop being greedy by blocking the sale of vaccines to the public in certain states.