ALASKA hiker injured by GRIZZLY ~ ILLINOIS resident diagnosed with HANTAVIRUS ~ PENNSYLVANIA finds WEST NILE VIRUS in dead CROW ~ TRAVEL WARNINGS: PERU reports LEPTOSPIROSIS outbreak.

Grizzly. Courtesy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Alaska 05/12/12 ktuu.com: by Christine Kim & Abby Hancock – Anchorage police say an Eagle River man was hiking about 3/4 of a mile off of Eagle River Road on Saturday, not far from his home, when a bear attacked him. Police say Howard Meyer, 57, told officers he saw first saw the large brown bear about 50 feet away from him. He tried to run from it, but then tripped and fell, according to Lt. Dave Parker. The bear then swatted Meyer a few times and took off. After the short attack, Parker says Meyer called APD with his cell phone. Meyer made his way down the mountain and eventually connected up with responding officers. “This is the time of year we want people to be aware but to be connected- take that cell phone. In this case, that really helped out a lot, being able to finally get together and get him the medical help that he needed,” said Parker. Meyer was taken to Providence hospital with scalp wounds and claw marks on his body, where he is still recovering. Police said however, the injuries are not life threatening.

Deer mouse. Courtesy CDC.

Illinois 05/11/12 news-gazette.com: The Illinois Department of Public Health reported on Friday evening that an Iroquois County resident has been diagnosed with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The syndrome is a disease spread by rodents, according to the report. The Iroquois County resident first showed symptoms in late April after cleaning out a structure where rodents were seen and was hospitalized in May with fever and shortness of breath. The person is recovering after being released from the hospital. – For complete article see http://www.news-gazette.com/news/environment/2012-05-11/iroquois-county-resident-diagnosed-rodent-spread-disease.html

Pennsylvania 05/13/12 Millcreek, Huntingdon County: A dead crow found in Millcreek on May 4 is the county’s first confirmed case of West Nile Virus this year.- See http://www.goerie.com/article/20120513/NEWS02/305139867/West-Nile-infected-crow-found-in-Millcreek-Township

Travel Warnings:

Peru 05/11/12 cdc.gov: Flooding has caused an outbreak of leptospirosis in Peru, especially in the Loreto region. This is the worst flooding seen in this area for over 20 years. Peru has reported more than 300 cases and 3 deaths associated with leptospirosis thus far in 2012. Health authorities have alerted people to take precautions against the infection. Leptospirosis is a disease that is spread by animal urine. People become infected with the disease when they come in contact with body fluids of infected animals or in contact with water, soil, or food contaminated with infected urine. Leptospirosis is a hazard for many people who work outdoors or with animals. The disease has also been associated with swimming, wading, kayaking, and rafting in contaminated lakes and rivers.  – For more information see http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/outbreak-notice/leptospirosis-in-peru.htm

Michigan’s Detroit-area has reported more than 20 cases of life-threatening LEPTOSPIROSIS in DOGS this month ~ Montana FWP and Wisconsin DNR call for volunteers to monitor WOLF population ~ California and Connecticut city officials report MOUNTAIN LION sightings ~ a ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER report from Arkansas ~ and RABIES reports from California, & New York.

Labrador Retriever. Photo by Webdude1. Wikimedia Commons.

Michigan 10/27/11msu.edu: News Release – More than 20 cases of the life-threatening bacterial infection leptospirosis have been reported in Detroit-area dogs in the past three weeks, according to Michigan State University’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Experts at the MSU center, a service unit of the College of Veterinary Medicine, diagnosed the specific strain of the disease, which can cause fatal damage to dogs and can be transmitted to humans. In most cases, the dogs were not vaccinated against leptospirosis, or they had an uncertain vaccination history. Because this particular type of leptospirosis is associated with contact with rats, stray dogs are typically thought to be at highest risk.

Dr. Carole Bolin

“What is particularly unusual about this outbreak is that the dogs affected are not stray animals, but people’s pets,” said Carole Bolin, director of the Diagnostic Center. “Unfortunately, we expect to see more cases, and this is a very dangerous type of leptospirosis. Many veterinarians have never seen this type in dogs because it was markedly reduced by vaccination.”

Bolin and her team performed diagnostic testing and identified the particular strain of infection as icterohaemorrhagiae, which can cause severe disease in humans and animals. It is commonly carried by rats but also can be transmitted dog-to-dog or dog-to-human. Bolin is aware of nine dogs that died or were euthanized as a result of the disease, but there may be others. Leptospirosis spreads by infected wild and domestic animals. The bacteria (leptospira) that infects these animals can reside in their kidneys, and the host animal may or may not appear ill. They contaminate their environment with living leptospira when they urinate. Pets can become infected by sniffing this urine or by contacting standing water that becomes contaminated by rain and water runoff. “This is a very serious, rapidly progressing type of leptospirosis in dogs,” Bolin said. “Dogs can appear normal one day and be severely ill the next day. People can become infected, so this also is a threat to animal owners, caretakers and veterinarians.” – For complete news release go to http://news.msu.edu/story/9952/

Montana 10/27/11 helenair.com: by Joe Maurier – Over the course of Montana’s unique five-week-long general hunting season, more than 250,000 proud hunters will chart more than 2 million days afield in pursuit of elk and deer. Some 13,000 will also have a license to legally hunt a wolf for only the second time in recent memory. Montana set the quota for the wolf harvest at 220 animals and each harvest must be reported. But we need many more hunters to keep an eye out for wolves to help Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks manage this relatively new addition to our state. The wolf, unlike most other wildlife species, offers more ways than one to be counted. Wolves howl. They walk on forest roads. They leave tracks. And they are increasingly observed by people. For skilled and informed outdoorsmen and women, wolves leave plenty of sign. Unlike deer and elk, wolves live in packs. When you find the tracks of a wolf—and especially the tracks of three or more running together—the odds are high that they patrol an area of some 200 square miles. In this manner, wolf packs sit on the map of Montana like a hundred interlocking puzzle pieces. Like any puzzle, the first few pieces are the toughest to find and fit together. That’s why FWP goes to the extra effort of capturing and placing radio collars on wolves across Montana. The home ranges of radioed wolves describe the outlines of each pack territory on the map, and the radios lead your FWP wildlife biologists in airplanes or on foot to the rest of their pack members. This fall, as hundreds of thousands of hunters comb the far corners Montana — often in tracking snow — we ask that they also take the time to report their specific observations of wolves or tracks to FWP. With that first hand information, wildlife biologists will return to many of the sites to confirm wolf presence. For complete article go to http://helenair.com/lifestyles/recreation/hunters-can-help-montana-s-wolf-management-efforts/article_9103d7ac-0063-11e1-8b76-001cc4c03286.html

Wisconsin 10/27/11 jsonline.com: by Paul A. Smith – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources utilizes a team of volunteer trackers each winter to help monitor the state’s wolf population. It’s been called the largest such wildlife tracking program in the nation. Volunteers are required to attend one or more training sessions to qualify for the effort. The DNR is issuing its annual call for volunteers as well as listing the schedule of workshops planned in the coming weeks. Volunteer trackers are assigned survey blocks in forest portions of northern and central Wisconsin, and are asked to conduct three or more surveys in their assigned block each winter. Data they gather can be compiled with those of other volunteers to aid Department of Natural Resources biologists in evaluating wolf populations. – For complete article go to http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/132700988.html

California 10/26/11 thecalifornian.com: Monterey, Monterey County: Local police responded to a mountain lion sighting Monday in the 500 block of Mar Vista Drive. While Officers were checking the area, a caller reported seeing a mountain lion in a backyard in the same vicinity. Officers witnessed an animal jumping from a tree and running up a hill into a wooded area. The officers did not get a clear view of the animal, but they believe it was a mountain lion based upon its size and movement.

 

Connecticut 10/27/11 East Haddam, Middlesex County: Local Animal Control Officer Michael Olzacki reports mountain lion sighting. First Selectman Mark Walter said he’s not surprised, despite the official state position that there are no resident mountain lions in the state. See http://www.theday.com/article/20111027/NWS01/111029262/1047

California 10/26/11 Siskiyou County: The Siskiyou County Public Health and Community Development Department is advising local residents that two bats have been confirmed positive for the rabies virus in late September and early October in northern Siskiyou County. In both cases, domestic pets have come in contact with the rabid bats. See http://www.mtshastanews.com/news/x2063883379/Two-Siskiyou-bats-test-positive-for-rabies

New York 10/26/11 West Winfield, Herkimer County: Health officials warn residents after a skunk that attacked a caged dog tested positive for rabies. See http://www.wktv.com/news/local/Residents-warned-to-be-cautious-after-rabid-skunk-attacked-caged-dog-132649673.html

USDA sharpshooters may thin DEER population at USMC’s Camp Lejeune in North Carolina ~ Mississippi confirms another WEST NILE VIRUS death and six new HUMAN cases ~ Two in Maryland bitten by FERAL CAT with RABIES ~ Pennsylvania animal shelter workers bitten by STRAY KITTEN with RABIES ~ Illinois confirms two more CATS with TULAREMIA ~ Travel Warnings for The Philippines ~ AUTHOR’S NOTE.

Whitetail deer. Photo by lcwtoys. Wikimedia Commons.

North Carolina 10/01/11 marinecorpstimes.com: by Gina Cavallaro – The living conditions at Camp Lejeune, N.C., have become a little too comfortable for thousands of white-tailed deer. There are so many, and they’re causing so many problems, that base officials are considering the use of sharpshooters from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to end the problem. Lejeune has documented 120 deer-vehicle collisions since 2009, and officials estimate the hungry animals have destroyed 500 acres of landscaped vegetation in the base’s urban areas. Deer make people sick, too. In 2009, Lejeune medical personnel treated 24 cases of Lyme disease and 11 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, both illnesses caused by deer that also carry ticks and other parasites. In 2010, the number of Lyme disease cases jumped to 39 and there were six cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Camp Lejeune’s own hunting program has helped somewhat, but officials have concluded that hunting alone is not enough to bring the burgeoning population of white tail deer under control. The sharpshooters, or “firearms experts” as the government agency calls them, have helped control deer populations in dozens of wildlife areas, including places like Camp David, the presidential retreat on Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain, and in Valley Forge, Pa., where over the course of 16 nights, a team took out 600 deer. A three-person team comprises a driver, shooter and spotter from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Wildlife Services program.

But don’t confuse these shooters with Marine scout snipers. The USDA experts are wildlife biologists who are schooled in the movements and behaviors of animals. They also work at Marine Corps air stations to help control populations of birds that can do more harm to an aircraft than a deer can do in a vegetable garden. There is no start date yet for the sharpshooter plan, but with hunting season underway in eastern North Carolina, the deer may soon find it hard to hide.

Mississippi 09/26/11 ms.gov: News Release – Today the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reports one death in a previously reported West Nile virus (WNV) case in Jasper County and six new human cases in Hinds, Madison, Rankin (3), and Washington counties, bringing the state’s total to 39 cases for 2011 with three deaths. So far this year, cases have been confirmed in Forrest (4), Hinds (6), Jones (4), Madison (6), Pearl River (6), Rankin (5), Washington (2) and one case each in Coahoma, Jasper, Lincoln, Tallahatchie, Tate, and Wayne counties. Three deaths have been confirmed, in Jasper, Jones, and Pearl River counties. In 2010, Mississippi had eight WNV cases and no deaths.

Maryland 10/01/11 delawreonline.com: A cat that attacked two people in the parking lot of Rising Sun High School has tested positive for rabies, Cecil County Health Department officials said today. The cat — unprovoked — bit both of the people it attacked Friday and died during the incident. Its body was sent to the state Health Department Laboratory, where the confirmation was made. Health Department spokeswoman Janis D. Shields said both people now are receiving the four-dose series of vaccines used to treat rabies, a viral disease that — if untreated — is fatal to humans and animals. Shields said the vaccines are given on the day of exposure, and on the third, seventh and 14th days following. Anyone scratched or bitten in the past 10 days by a female cat with calico markings in the area of the high school should contact their doctor or report to an emergency room for treatment, officials said. The high school is at 100 Tiger Drive, near the intersection of Maryland 272 and 273 in the center of northern Cecil County.

Pennsylvania 09/29/11 wpxi.com: Workers at a Westmoreland County animal shelter are being treated for rabies after they got bitten by a stray kitten. The kitten had a small bite when someone took the animal to Animal Protectors in New Kensington almost 3 weeks ago. But it didn’t begin to show symptoms of rabies until it bit a worker and a volunteer over the weekend. Both were both vaccinated immediately. Vets at the shelter told Channel 11 News that the kitten was put down after tests confirmed it had rabies.

Illinois 09/30/11 news-gazette-com: by Tim Ditman – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District says two more cats have tested positive for Tularemia disease. One of those cats is in Champaign. The other is in Urbana. Three cats from Savoy had previously tested positive for the disease. Four of the five sick cats have either died due to the disease or have been euthanized. Health district epidemiologist Awais Vaid says the cause of the outbreak is still under investigation.

Travel Warnings:

The Philippines 10/02/11 pia.gov.ph: News Release  — In a release by the Department of Health, Center for Health Development-Metro Manila (CHD-MM) Regional Director Eduardo Janairo reported that cases of leptospirosis are fast rising as series of typhoons continue to bring flood waters in various areas of Metro Manila. Janairo said the disease brought about by rats can be very deadly as it is transmitted through humans from contaminated waters, especially rat urine.  “Once it comes into contact with cuts and open wounds in the skin, a person may develop high-grade fever, muscle pain and nausea. If complications may arise, it can lead to renal failure, respiratory distress and eventually death,” said Janairo. CHD’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit records showed 391 cases of leptospirosis, with 31 deaths from January to September 8, 2011. Among the cities with the most number of recorded cases of leptospirosis are: Manila (79), Quezon City (76), Caloocan (3), Malabon (4), Navotas (27), Valenzuela (21), Parañaque (22), Pasay (19), Makati (12), Las Piñas (10), and Taguig (10).

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Posts will be limited

through October 15

due to

carpal tunnel syndrome.

Massachusetts man says COYOTES killed one of his BUFFALO ~ New York’s Westchester County issues RABIES ALERT ~ California man and South Dakota woman each confront a MOUNTAIN LION to save their pets ~ California hospital looking for 6,000 people who received one or more of six vaccinations, including RABIES VACCINE, that may be subpotent ~ Florida’s Pinellas County finds four more SENTINEL CHICKENS with ST. LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS ~ RABIES (animal) reports from Alabama, California, Connecticut, New Mexico, North Carolina (2), Ohio, South Carolina, & Washington ~ WEST NILE VIRUS (human & horse) reports from Delaware, Maryland, & Pennsylvania ~ and an EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS (horse) report from Michigan ~ Travel Warnings for The Bahamas, & Dominica.

American buffalo. PD. Wikimedia Commons.

Massachusetts 09/16/11 boston.com: by Meghan Irons – Coyotes lurking in the woods in Massachusetts have been known to attack dogs, chickens, cats, and even, in rare instances, people. But a buffalo? You better believe it, pardner.  Tyler Kimball says it actually happened here on his farm in the dark of night on Saturday.

Wolf pack surrounding a buffalo

A pack of coyotes entered a pen where his 14 buffalos grazed. When they were done, one was missing.  The coyotes were sly, Kimball said. They separated a relatively young buffalo, 16 months old, from the rest of the herd, dragged it into a nearby swamp, and devoured it.  “All that was left was skin and bone,” said Kimball, who was keeping watch over the pen today as the herd huddled together and grazed on grass. Kimball decided to raise buffalos a few years ago after he visited a farm in Maine and ate buffalo meat. He raises the animals for their meat and uses them to protect chickens that are in a coop inside the pen. The animals are also huge attractions for visitors. After the coyote attack, he vowed to be vigilant in protecting the animals – armed, if necessary. “I’m going to come out here with my gun, and if I see one, I’ll shoot it,” he said.

New York 09/16/11 patch.com: by Satta Sarmah – The Westchester County Department of Health issued an alert on Friday after rabid animals were spotted in five communities. The alert is for residents who may have had contact with a rabid skunk in Ossining, Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, or Katonah or a rabid raccoon in Yorktown. On Sept. 8, a man in Mamaroneck killed a rabid skunk with a metal rod after it chased him on Center Avenue. In Yorktown, a resident killed a rabid raccoon after it fought with two dogs on Kitchawan Road on Sept. 9. Four days later, a rabid skunk attacked a dog on Belle Avenue in Ossining and was eventually killed by police, while another rabid skunk in Scarsdale followed a dog into a yard before construction workers killed it by pummeling rocks at the animal. The latest rabid animal incident occurred on Thursday morning in Katonah. A sick skunk was found shaking in a front yard on Buckabee Place. Bedford police shot and killed the animal. No person had direct contact with any of the rabid animals, but the pets that did are receiving rabies booster shots. The health department used robo-calls to notify residents who live within a quarter-mile of the location where each of the animals was found. However, anyone who may have had contact with them should call the Westchester County Department of Health immediately at (914) 813-5000 to determine if rabies treatment is needed. For more information about rabies and its prevention, visit the Westchester County Health Department’s website at www.westchestergov.com/health. Residents also can call the RABIES INFOLINE at (914) 813-5010 to listen to a taped message.

California 09/16/11 patch.com: by Nathan McIntire – A Monrovia resident chased away a mountain lion from his hillside neighborhood Thursday night, but not before it killed his cat. Maxwell Harvey was pulling up to his home in the 400 block of Lotone Street at about 10 p.m. Thursday when he saw the mountain lion in a neighbor’s driveway. He noticed it had something clasped in its jaws. “I saw something in its mouth but I didn’t know what it was,” Harvey said. “Then I saw it was my cat so I started to chase after it.” The mountain lion dropped the cat, an orange tabby named “Brett Favre,” in the street a few houses down before scampering back up into the foothills. Harvey said it came back down about an hour later looking for its kill, but he had already picked up the cat’s body. The Monrovia Police Department sent out a robo-call Friday warning residents about the mountain lion sighting. Residents in Sierra Madre also reported seeing a mountain lion roaming the streets on Monday.

South Dakota 09/17/11 rapidcityjournal.com: by Andrea J. Cook – Jill Schad didn’t hesitate when she saw her Sheltie Kay’D clutched in a mountain lion‘s jaws. After calling for help, Schad grabbed a small bottle of antifreeze before advancing on the lion that had her pet in a death grip. “Your adrenalin just kind of takes over,” Schad said. “I just tried to save her.” Schad estimates she was within 18 inches of the lion that had either cornered or carried Kay’D into a boat shed Sept. 4. Game, Fish & Parks officials shot and killed the lion and a female traveling with it later that evening after the animals returned to the area. The killing of the two lions brings to 73 the number of documented lion deaths in South Dakota since the first of the year, Mike Kintigh, regional GF&P supervisor, said. Don and Jill Schad have lived two miles south of Cheyenne Crossing, on U.S. Highway 85, for more than 10 years. This is the first time they’ve seen mountain lions on the property that is surrounded by U.S. Forest Service land. – For complete article go to http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/woman-stood-face-to-face-with-mountain-lion/article_20f719ce-e0ec-11e0-9b8d-001cc4c002e0.html

California 09/16/11 appeal-democrat.com: Fremont Rideout Health Group is trying to reach about 6,000 people who received vaccines that may be subpotent. Letters were sent this week to patients who received six vaccines potentially affected by a refrigeration malfunction, a FRHG official said Friday. The hospital is offering revaccinations as a precautionary measure. The six vaccines were administered to fight pneumonia; measles, mumps and rubella; tetanus; pertussis; rabies; and Hepatitis B. The vaccinations in question date back to February 2010. Chance White, FRHG senior vice president and chief clinical officer, said the vaccines’ manufacturers and the Centers for Disease Control indicated there’s a “small chance” the vaccines could be subpotent. In addition to the free revaccinations, the hospital will offer recipients a vaccine against the 2011-12 flu strain, also at no charge. “The manufacturers and the CDC said there’s no danger in getting subpotent vaccines or having revaccinations,” White said. Addresses for everyone who received the vaccinations are on file, but the hospital is concerned some people may have moved and will not get the letter. In addition to issuing a media advisory, FRHG plans an ad about the revaccinations. The outreach was initiated after FRHG identified a malfunction in the refrigeration unit of the pharmacy used to store vaccines; it was getting colder than the temperature range recommended by the pharmaceutical manufacturer. Unable to retrieve all relevant electronic temperature data for the malfunctioning unit, the hospital decided to revaccinate everyone, White said. “The prudent thing is to offer the revaccinations,” said White. Questions regarding the vaccines and revaccinations can be directed to a hotline, 749-6654, or email vaccines@frhg.org.

Florida 09/16/11 patch.com: by Sunde Farquhar – Pinellas County officials are advising residents of southwest Florida to double efforts to protect themselves from mosquito bites. That is the message from Pinellas County Health officials, concerned about the risks of disease to humans. Four more sentinel chickens tested positive for St. Louis Encephalitis, bringing the total of infected chickens in the county to nine. Sentinel chickens are kept in eight locations throughout the county and are tested weekly for signs of arboviral diseases caused by mosquito bites. County officials say the chickens serve as an early-warning beacon, making them aware of disease-carrying mosquitoes that pose risks to humans. Chickens tested positive in St. Petersburg, Oldsmar, Tarpon Springs, Seminole and Palm Harbor.

Alabama 09/15/11 dothaneagle.com: Houston County’s sixth animal rabies case for the year was discovered in a raccoon found at a residence on Clearmont Drive in Dothan. According to the Houston County Health Department, a resident found the raccoon fighting with his dogs and asked for the raccoon to be tested for rabies. There was no known human exposure to the rabid raccoon and the dogs involved are currently vaccinated for the rabies virus.

California 09/15/11 newsreview.com: Chico Police say a rabid bat bit a young boy at Bidwell Park. The boy required treatment after the Butte County Public Health Laboratory confirmed the animal had rabies. According to a CPD press release, the incident occurred as the 6-year-old played on the grass on the north side of Sycamore Pool at the One-Mile Recreation Area.

Connecticut 09/15/11 patch.com: by Stephanie Riefe – On September 14 at 4:23 p.m., the Simsbury Police Department responded to 18 Windham Drive in Simsbury. A resident witnessed a skunk attack a dog several times. Officers responded and located the skunk and it was exhibiting signs of sickness. Simsbury Animal Control Officer Mark Rudewicz delivered the skunk to the state Department of Public Health (DPH) for testing. On September 15, the Simsbury Police Department was informed by DPH that the skunk tested positive for rabies. If you, someone you know or any domesticated animals came into contact with a skunk in the area of Windham Drive within the last two weeks, it is recommend that you contact your doctor or veterinarian for advice. For any other questions or concerns, contact the Simsbury Police Department at 860-658-3100 or Animal Control Officer Mark Rudewicz at 860-658-3110. For further information, view the CT DPH Rabies website at http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3136&q=396178.

New Mexico 09/15/11 lcsun-news.com: by Diana M. Alba – A rabid bat recently was found at an apartment complex on Solano Drive, a state health official confirmed. It was the first confirmed instance of rabies in Doña Ana County this year. The bat was found two weeks ago at the complex and picked up by city animal control personnel, who, believing it was suspect, shipped the specimen to a state health laboratory in Albuquerque, said Paul Ettestad, state public health veterinarian.

North Carolina 09/16/11 newsobserver.com: Wake County health officials say two cases of rabies were confirmed this week, in Wendell and Willow Springs. Both cases involved rabid foxes. In one case, the fox interacted with a dog that had not received a rabies vaccination and had to be put down. The foxes were found near the intersection of Quail Creek Drive and Eddie Howard Road in Willow Springs and near the intersection of Gillies Spring Lane and Wendell Boulevard in Wendell. Residents of both areas are urged to keep an eye out for animals that are acting strangely and to keep their pets close at hand. County officials ask anyone who sees an animal acting in an unusual manner to call Wake County Animal Control at 212-7387. Anyone who has been bitten or scratched by an unknown animal should call their physician or the county community health department at 250-4462.

North Carolina 09/15/11 statesville.com: by Donna Swicegood – A skunk that attacked a dog in western Iredell County recently has been confirmed to have rabies. Iredell County Animal Services Director Chris Royal said a dog, whose owners live on Doe Trail Lane, was attacked by the skunk.  One of the owners of the dog shot and killed the skunk, and the skunk’s body was sent off to Raleigh for testing. The test came back positive for rabies, Royal said. This is the fifth case of rabies this year in Iredell County, she said. The dog, she said, was injured in the attack and was taken to the veterinarian for treatment. However, because of the dog’s age — 14 — the owners decided to surrender it to animal control and it was euthanized, Royal said.

Ohio 09/15/11 patch.com: by Jason Lea – A rabid skunk was collected in the northwest part of Mentor after it had an encounter with two unvaccinated dogs, according to the Lake County General Health District. To make sure they don’t spread the disease, the dogs will be subject to a six-month quarantine. This is the second rabid skunk found this year in Mentor. The first was located about two miles west in the northern, middle portion of Mentor in mid-July. It was captured during a routine Trap, Vaccinate and Release operation carried out by the USDA Wildlife Services. The skunk is believed to be infected with raccoon strain rabies. Since 2004, 136 animals with raccoon strain rabies have been found in Lake County, according to the health district. Health departments in northeast Ohio have distributed rabies vaccine for raccoons to eat. However, the vaccine is not effective in skunks. A new vaccine for skunks is undergoing trials and it is hoped it will be available for use locally next year. Citizens can call the Lake County General Health District at 440-350-2543 to report dead or sick animals and animals with odd behavior.

South Carolina 09/15/11 islandpacket.com: by Allison Stice – Three people who cared for an injured raccoon in Okatie are undergoing medical treatment after the animal tested positive for rabies, state health officials said Thursday.  Five others are being evaluated to see if they need the preventive inoculation against the virus, which is fatal to humans and animals once it reaches the brain.  The raccoon was found struggling to walk along a road in Okatie when a resident decided to take it home to nurse it, unaware that it was rabid, according to Adam Myrick, public information director for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. When the animal’s condition worsened, it was taken to a veterinarian where it tested positive for rabies.  Now, two women and a child who handled the raccoon are being treated by a doctor. The animal did not bite them, but the virus can spread through scratches or saliva, Myrick said. DHEC is still determining how much contact five other people may have had with the raccoon.  “We cannot stress enough the importance of resisting the urge to adopt or feed wildlife,” Sue Ferguson of DHEC said in a news release. “Despite the prevalent folklore, there is no way to tell from looking at an animal whether or not it has rabies, and baby animals can carry the disease without showing the symptoms, as well.” The incident is the fifth confirmed rabid animal in Beaufort County this year. Last year’s total was five rabid animals, with 106 confirmed cases in the state.

Washington 09/16/11 theolympian.com: A dead bat found inside a store on Olympia’s west side has tested positive for rabies, according to the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services department. According to a news release: Two customers found the bat Sept. 9 in the Halloween section of the Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Store. The health department was notified Monday and sent the bat to the Washington State Public Health Laboratories for testing. Wednesday, the lab notified Public Health and Social Services that the bat had rabies. The pair who found the bat received rabies vaccinations as a precaution. County health officials are asking the store’s customers to call if they may have touched the bat at the store between Sept. 2 and Sept. 9. The health department can be reached at 360-867-2500. “People who walked, shopped, or worked at Jo-Ann’s are not at risk unless they came in contact with the bat,” Dr. Diana Yu, Thurston County Health Officer, said in the news release. A dozen to as many as 23 bats a year test positive for rabies statewide, said Tim Church, communications director for the state Department of Health. In 2010, out of 200 bats tested, 14 were positive, he said. Nine have tested positive this year, Church said.

New Castle County

Delaware 09/17/11 delawareonline.com: by Hiran Ratnayake – A 71-year-old man from New Castle County has been diagnosed with West Nile virus. The man has underlying health conditions and is hospitalized but his status was not released by the state’s Department of Health and Social Services Friday. “What we can release is that he is 71 and he is from New Castle County and that is the extent of what we can release,” said Jill Fredel, department spokeswoman. Between 2004 and 2009, the state had four cases of West Nile virus, according to the Delaware Division of Public Health. As of Sept. 13, there were 202 human cases of West Nile virus in the nation, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including seven deaths. Fredel said people spending time outside should stay covered up and use insect repellent to protect themselves from mosquitoes. “We have one confirmed case and [Delawareans] should be mindful of it,” Fredel said.

Sussex County

At the same time, state agricultural officials also said the health of a Sussex County horse with clinical signs of the West Nile Virus is improving. Tests to confirm the disease on the horse were inconclusive, according to Delaware’s Department of Agriculture, which was notified about the potential case Sep. 6. Delaware has not had a case of West Nile virus in a horse since 2003.

Prince George's County

Maryland 09/16/11 washingtonpost.com: by Maggie Fazeli Fard – A New Carrollton resident has contracted West Nile virus, Prince George’s County’s first confirmed case of the virus in a human, officials announced Friday. There was no information available on the condition of the infected resident.

Pennsylvania 09/16/11 post-gazette.com: by Jill Daly – A Pittsburgh man, who is Allegheny County’s first case of West Nile virus this year, is now recovering at home after being hospitalized earlier this month. More details of the patient could not be released because of privacy concerns, but he is the first reported West Nile case since 2007, according to county Health Department spokesman Guillermo Cole.

Head pressing horse with EEE

Michigan 09/16/11 chron.com: Officials are reporting Michigan’s first horse death this year related to Eastern equine encephalitis. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on Thursday announced that lab tests confirmed the diagnosis in a Midland County horse. Last year, the state says there were 56 confirmed horse fatalities related to Eastern equine encephalitis, which is spread by mosquitoes. Others were suspected but not confirmed through lab tests. Suspected cases should be reported to state officials. The disease is rare but can be deadly among humans. Health officials say people should take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and horses should be vaccinated.

Travel Warnings:

The Bahamas 09/15/11 cdc.gov: CDC Outbreak Notice –  Situation Information – The government of the Bahamas issued a public service advisory announcing heightened dengue activity in New Providence. This island is the most populous and includes the city of Nassau. As a result, the US Embassy in Nassau issued an emergency message for US citizens in the Bahamas related to dengue. In August, the Ministry of Health reported that more than 100 cases were being reported daily. Approximately 1,000 cases of dengue-like symptoms had been reported as of August 9. Mosquito bite prevention measures, such as fogging and communication campaigns, are under way in densely populated areas.

Dengue fever is the most common cause of fever in travelers returning from the Caribbean, Central America, and South Central Asia. Dengue is reported commonly from most tropical and subtropical countries of Oceania, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, and occasionally Africa. This disease is caused by four similar viruses (DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4) and is spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes.

Dengue virus transmission occurs in both rural and urban areas; however, dengue is most often reported from urban settings. For the most up-to-date information on dengue worldwide, see the DengueMap on the CDC website. For more information about other countries with dengue in the region, see the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

Dominica 09/16/11 thedominican.net – The Ministry of Health in Dominica is actively engaged in bringing an end to dengue fever and leptospirosis on the island. Health officials say they will boost intervention in an attempt to curb the outbreak of dengue fever, which has affected several persons in the Roseau area. So far there are no reported deaths from the outbreak but health officials say there have been 15 confirmed cases since the outbreak was first reported a few weeks ago. They are also awaiting the results on nine suspected cases. Dengue fever is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito and symptoms include high fever, rash, severe headaches, back pain, eye pain, muscles and joint pain.

Meanwhile, the government of Dominica has received assistance from the Cuban government to help control the rodent population in Dominica. Over the past year close to fifty persons have contracted leptospirosis with seven confirmed deaths. The last two deaths were reported in May when Ricky Allport and Jonathan Wilson both succumbed to the disease. Just this month four new cases were reported. According to Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Johnson, “we are working with Cuban officials. We have evidence of a high population of rodents and because of that Leptospirosis is not under control.” Dr Johnson called on the general public to assist the authorities as they work on controlling the rodent population on the island. Leptospirosis is largely spread to humans from animals and rodents, particularly rats. The disease can cause severe fever, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pains, and vomiting.

Arizona announces Mexico to release five MEXICAN WOLVES near border; California inspector discovers potentially dangerous ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITOES in Los Angeles County; New Swiss firm will focus on antibodies that guard against RABIES, DENGUE, and other diseases; RABIES reports from California, & North Carolina; WEST NILE VIRUS reports from Massachusetts, & Missouri; and an EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS report from Michigan. Travel: Cuba, Chile, and Uruguay praised by Pan-American Health Organization for DENGUE control.

Mexican Wolf. Photo by C. Morrison. Wikimedia Commons.

Arizona 09/12/11 azgfd.net: News Release – The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been informed that Mexican authorities plan to release five Mexican wolves this month at an undisclosed ranch location in northeastern Sonora, Mexico.  While the department does not know the specific date or other details at this time, it has received indications that the wolves being released will be fitted with satellite tracking collars.  Game and Fish is currently considering what, if any, impacts this release might have on Arizona’s Mexican wolf conservation and stakeholders. The department will continue to monitor activities related to the planned release and will continue to inform constituents as information becomes available.  Arizona Game and Fish has been actively involved in the multi-partner effort reintroducing Mexican wolves to portions of their historical range in the east-central portion of the state for many years. In 1998, 11 captive-reared Mexican wolves were released into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA) in eastern Arizona. The current population was assessed to be around 50 animals during 2011 monitoring.  The Mexican wolf is considered endangered in the United States.

Asian Tiger Mosquito

California 09/13/11 pasadenastarnews.com: by J.D. Velasco – An aggressive species of Asian mosquito known to transmit several dangerous diseases has been discovered in the San Gabriel Valley, pest control officials said Tuesday. Officials with the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District said mosquitoes found in the 11000 block of Dodson Street last week have been identified as Asian tiger mosquitoes, which have the potential to carry dengue fever, yellow fever and several encephalitis-causing viruses. None of the mosquitoes in El Monte have been found to carry any of those diseases. “At this point we haven’t identified any of these diseases we’re concerned about in L.A. County,” said Kelly Middleton, Vector Control District spokeswoman. Middleton said an inspector discovered the infestation during a routine call.  ”We had a typical report of someone who was having problems with mosquito bites,” she said. While out in the field, the inspector swatted one of the insects and realized it was an Asian tiger mosquito, Middleton said.

The mosquitoes have not been seen in Southern California since 2001, when they were accidentally introduced in imported “Lucky Bamboo” plants. Middleton said it is not yet clear if the mosquitoes found in El Monte were reintroduced, or if they escaped efforts to eradicate the 2001 infestation. The tiny mosquitoes are marked with black and white stripes and are distinguished from other species of mosquitoes by being especially active during the day.  A campaign to spread information about the insect and eliminate the infestation is scheduled to begin this week. Crews will be going door-to-door in the neighborhood where the mosquitoes were discovered. Control operations, which include the use of pesticide fogs, will begin as soon as Friday. Residents will be given 24-hour notice before pesticide is used. In the meantime, officials recommend residents take steps to reduce the places where the mosquitoes can live and breed. Such measures include dumping out containers with standing water, disposing of unused tires that may collect water, and drilling drain holes in the bottom of tire swings and other play equipment that may collect water.  Anyone who believes they have seen or were bitten by one of these mosquitoes is asked to report it to vector control officials by calling 626-814-9466.

Global 09/12/11 genengnews.com: Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics firm Humabs has been officially spun out from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland. The new firm aims to exploit its antibody discovery platforms to generate a pipeline of fully human mAbs targeting infectious and inflammatory disease. Humabs was founded to further develop two antibody platforms aimed at rapidly and efficiently isolating high affinity, fully human mAbs from memory B cells and plasma cells. The platform involves the screening of cells from high responders to identify those that produce antibodies with unique specificity. Humab says the platforms have already generated a bank of over 500 antibody-producing cells.

IRB Director Dr. Antonio Lanzavecchia

The firm’s preclinical pipeline includes over 200 antibodies that have demonstrated strong efficacy both in vitro and in vivo against viruses including cytomegalovirus, HIV, influenza, Dengue virus, heptiatis B and C, and rabies. A paper published in Science last month by Humab researchers described the isolation of a neutralizing mAb, designated F16, which targets all 16 hemagglutinin subtypes of influenza A. Humab is currently in discussions with potential partners for F16 and has already licensed out its cytomegalovirus antibodies. Additional R&D collaborations with industry partners are in place. The firm has established its laboratories close to the IRB and will continue to maintain close links with the Institute to support its scientific expertise and access to facilities.

California 09/12/11 the-signal.com: Two rabid bats were found at Santa Clarita Valley schools over the past few weeks, one found inside a restroom at College of the Canyons, public health officials and local school spokesmen confirmed Monday. The finds bring to 12 the number of rabid bats found in the Santa Clarita Valley in an upswing of the disease among the flying mammals this year. Three have been found at local schools. On Sept. 2, a woman found a bat in the women’s restroom at the College of the Canyons stadium, spokesman Bruce Battle said. The bat was alive, but did not come in contact with the woman, he said. She notified COC facilities, who then contacted Animal Control to pick up the bat. After testing, COC was contacted late last week and told that the bat found was rabid, Battle said. Another bat was recently found at Tesoro del Valle Elementary School in Saugus, Saugus Union School District board member Judy Umeck said today. The bat was found by the principal and a custodian on an outside a wall of the second story of the school about a week ago, she said. The two collected the bat with a box and contacted Animal Control to come pick it up. No children were present when the bat was found, she said. The school was told late Friday that the bat tested as rabid and school officials will notify parents tomorrow. Two weeks ago, a rabid bat was found at Meadows Elementary School, Superintendent Marc Winger said today. The bat was found before school hours, no students came into contact with it, and no one was bitten, he said. Twenty-seven rabid bats have been found in Los Angeles County this year. It’s the highest number of rabid bats ever found in a single year in L.A. County since the Health Department began keeping track in the 1960s, a county website said. Public health officials have not explained why rabies is on the increase among bats, but they have said their numbers are high in the SCV. In a normal year, eight to 10 rabid bats are found in L.A. County.

North Carolina 09/12/11 nbc17.com: Cumberland County authorities are alerting residents in the Haymount area of a suspected case of rabies found last week. Animal Control picked up a bat on September 9 at General Lee Avenue in the Haymount area. The bat was sent to the State Lab in Raleigh for testing. The State Lab reported an “unsatisfactory result” of rabies. When tests are returned with unsatisfactory results, health officials treat the case as a positive result. Residents are advised to remain alert for sick or abnormal acting wildlife. This is the 15th case of rabies in Cumberland County since the beginning of 2011.

Massachusetts 09/13/11 boston.com: by Justin Rice – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health detected West Nile Virus in mosquitoes collected from Salem, according to a press release on the city’s website. Last year, Salem had 3,558 mosquito samples tested for the virus with a total of 121 testing positive, according to the press release. Salem has not had any cases of humans being infected by West Nile virus. Information about West Nile and reports of the viruses activity in Massachusetts during 2011 can be found at http://www.mass.gov/dph/wnv. Recorded information about West Nile is also available by calling the Public Health Information Line at 1-866-MASS-WNV (1-866-627-7968).

Jefferson County

Missouri 09/12/11 ksdk.com: by Brandie Piper – The Jefferson County Health Department says mosquitoes tested in the southeastern portion of the county have tested positive for the West Nile Virus. The department tested mosquitoes after a 49-year-old man tested positive for the virus. He is suffering from a more severe form called West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease.

Michigan 09/13/11 ourmidland.cm: the day. A fatal case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in a horse from the Beaverton/Edenville area in Midland County has been identified by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health labs. Residents with questions about treatment schedules can call the news hotline at 832-NEWS (832-6397) or check the mosquito control website at www.co.midland.mi.us/mosquito  More information on Eastern equine encephalitis is available at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websitehttp://www.cdc.gov/EasternEquineEncephalitis/

Travel:

Cuba, Chile, and Uruguay 09/12/11 ahora.cu: The Pan-American Health Organization acknowledged Cuba, Chile and Uruguay as the three countries in the region where dengue is not an endemic disease because of their healthcare systems and active community participation. Cuban health authorities say there are no cases of autochthonous dengue outbreaks, and 21 dengue cases reported had been brought into the country by travellers from countries where the disease is endemic. The patients were treated in a timely manner, they said. In addition to medical services for patients, Cuba has carried out epidemiological control and vector monitoring actions as stipulated by rapid-response programs for viral epidemics. Cuba has made the necessary investment to develop such actions systematically and with the participation of experts and technicians, Granma newspaper reported. Hygiene and epidemiology experts from the Public Health Ministry told reporters that nearly 26 transmissible diseases had been totally eliminated or were under control in Cuba. Malaria, cholera, West Nile virus, yellow fever, Chagas diseases, dengue, human rabies, typhoid, meningeal tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough, rubella, poliomyelitis and diphtheria are all controlled diseases. Also on the list are brucellosis, meningitis meningococcica BC, meningitis, pneumonia to Haemophilus Influenzae Type B, leptospirosis, Hepatitis B, mumps, post-mumps syndrome, adult tetanus, child AIDS and congenital syphilis.

Infectious Disease doctor says Spelunkers risk exposure to Histoplasmosis, Rabies, and other zoonoses; New Jersey woman dies from bite by rabid dog in Haiti; two North Carolina women attacked by Fox; Wisconsin DNR seeks public input on future of CWD-tainted deer farm; and Rabies reports from Connecticut, and North Carolina. Canada: Lyme Disease report from Alberta.

Spelunkers. Photo by Kevin Stanway. PD. Wikimedia Commons.

Global 07/20/11 wired.com: by Danielle Venton – Like all sports that appeal to the extreme set, caving is risky. Beyond slips, falls and scrapes, spelunkers chance a host of rare, nasty diseases from cave critters. Typical threats are histoplasmosis, rabies, leptospirosis and tick-borne relapsing fever. Though most underground explorers understand the need for good ropes and headlamps, fewer think about the diseases they can catch beneath the surface, said Ricardo Pereira Igreja, a doctor and professor of infectious disease in Brazil. “People all over the world now are exploring caves for the nature and ecology. For some it’s very spiritual,” said Igreja, of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. “I think that’s good, but it does come with some threat.” For a casual tourist, like the 500,000 annual visitors to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, walking through a cave is essentially as safe as walking down the street. It is the sport cavers, those who crawl through muck and mud into little-explored crevices, that must protect themselves from things living on bats, rodents, ticks and other bugs, Igreja said. Igreja surveys the classic and emerging cave-borne diseases in the June 10 Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. We’ve collected a gallery of the offending cave fauna, along with tips about how to keep sickness away next time you’re slithering among the stalagmites. Note: None of these diseases are exclusive to caves. Strange bugs can strike almost anywhere. (For complete article go to http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/underground-cave-diseases/?pid=1712&pageid=68009&viewall=true )

New Jersey 07/20/11 doh.state.nj.us: Press Release – A 73-year-old woman who tested positive for rabies after being bitten by a dog in her native Haiti in April died today at Overlook Medical Center in Summit. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are working with Overlook Medical Center and the Westfield Regional Health Department to assess the level of exposure among the patient’s family, health care workers at the hospital and other possible contacts. The woman developed neurological symptoms on June 25 while visiting family in Union County. She had been hospitalized at Overlook since July 2 and could have been infectious as of June 11.

Rabid dog foaming at mouth. Courtesy CDC.

The CDC notified the state and the hospital’s Infection Prevention Department Monday, July 18 that the woman was positive for rabies. Additional CDC testing confirmed today that the patient was infected with a rabies strain related to a strain in an individual infected in Haiti several years ago. An assessment is being made of health care workers who may have come in contact with the patients, as well as to assess their level of exposure and the need for post-exposure treatment.

The last case of rabies infection in New Jersey was in 1997 when a Warren County man died after removing several bats from his home. The man did not seek medical attention or notify public health officials that he had been either bitten or scratched. Prompt medical attention may have saved his life.  Prior to that, the most recent human rabies case in New Jersey was in 1971. In 2010, there was one human rabies case in Louisiana and it was attributed to exposure in Mexico.  In 2009, there were four human cases diagnosed in the US; one diagnosed in Virginia was attributed to a dog bite that occurred in India.  The other three were bat exposures in Texas, Indiana, and Michigan.  For more information about rabies, please visit: nj.gov/health/cd/documents/faq/rabies_faq.pdf )

North Carolina 07/20/11 wral.com: A fox attacked two Aberdeen women Tuesday morning, and Moore County animal control officers had to kill the animal, authorities said. The fox was sent to a lab for tests to determine if it had rabies. Lee Clayton was walking outside her home on Chancery Lane at about 6:40 a.m. when she noticed the fox, which she said she had seen around the area a few times before. Then, she said, the animal lunged at her. Her 80-year-old mother, Martha Swaringen, heard her cries and came outside to beat the fox off her daughter with a shovel. “I was trying to hit his head without hitting Lee,” Swaringen said. The fox bit her on the foot. When animal control officers arrived, they shot the animal. Clayton got nine stitches in her leg and her mother got three in the foot. Both women had to get a series of rabies shots. Al Carter, director of Moore County Animal Control, said test results are expected by noon Wednesday. He said the county sends an average of six specimens a month to a lab for testing. So far this year, two captured raccoons and a skunk have tested positive for rabies.

Deer farming.

Wisconsin 07/18/11 wi.gov: Press Release – Neighbors and others interested in the deer farm formerly known as Buckhorn Flats are invited to a public meeting on the future of the property, now owned by the state Department of Natural Resources. The open house meeting will run 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 28, in the auditorium at the Almond-Bancroft School at 1336 Elm Street in Almond. Background on the property, now called the Almond Deer Farm, will be provided, and the public is invited to ask questions and offer input on the management of the site. The first case of CWD, or chronic wasting disease, among Wisconsin farm-raised deer was discovered on this property in September 2002.

Almond, Wisconsin.

CWD, which affects deer and elk, is a contagious and always fatal brain disease for which there is no cure. The discovery of CWD on this property led to the depopulation of the entire deer herd on the farm. In the end, 82 of the deer killed and removed tested positive for CWD. This is an 80 percent infection rate, the highest rate of CWD infection recorded in North America, and possibly in the world. The property is located along the east side of 3rd Street, about one mile north and west of the Village of Almond in Portage County. The DNR purchased the 80-acre property this past spring for $465,000. There are 25 acres of cropland and 55 acres of woodland. About 65 acres are fenced, the area previously used as a deer farm. The property includes a single-family residence and a storage shed located outside of the fence.

Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease

Research indicates prions, proteins associated with the disease, can persist in soil for a minimum of three years and perhaps much longer. Prions that cause scrapie, a CWD-like disease in sheep and goats, have remained available and infectious for up to 16 years. DNR officials believe there is an unacceptable risk that CWD prions would infect wild white-tailed deer around this site if the fences would be removed. Since the previous owners were selling the property, and there is no continuing obligation to maintain the fence, wildlife officials concluded the best available option was to acquire the property. Similar, if less acute, concerns exist for all nine deer farms in Wisconsin that have tested positive for CWD. Because the question of how long a contaminated site is a risk to deer is of national and international interest there will be a number of opportunities for research at the Almond farm. Plans include building a second fence, if funding is available, to provide a secondary barrier and further reduce the risk of disease transmission to the wild deer herd. In addition, DNR officials must decide whether to maintain ownership of the house and lot.  The primary reason for DNR purchase of the property is to ensure that the deer fence remains intact, preventing wild deer from accessing the property and becoming infected. The DNR has an ethical and financial responsibility to maintain the fences until science offers a solution for assessing the risk or remediating the site. The fence will be inspected frequently.

Connecticut 07/19/11 patch.com: by John Davisson – Darien Police are searching for the owner of a stray dog recently recovered in the area of Silver Lakes Drive. The dog is described as a male doberman mix (or possibly a mini pinscher) between 1 and 3 years of age. The animal is black and tan in color and weighs about 20 pounds. “At this time, we are unable to locate the owner as no one has contacted us to claim it,” Capt. Fred Komm said in an email. “We have also checked with surrounding towns with negative results.” Komm said that it’s particularly important to find the owner because an officer was bitten by the dog while placing it in a cage, and authorities need to determine if the animal is up to date on its rabies vaccinations. “Time is of the essence,” Komm said. Anyone with information about the dog is asked to contact the Darien Police Department at 203-662-5300.

North Carolina 07/19/11 patch.com: by Kelly Twedell – The State Public Health Lab in Raleigh on Tuesday confirmed a case of rabies in Cumberland County. The rabid bat was picked up by Animal Control at the 1400 block of Woodland Drive, off of Westmont Drive in the Haymount area. Residents in the affected area should remain alert for sick or abnormal behavior in wildlife. Officials will be in the vicinity to alert residents of the hazard.

Canada:

Deer tick carries Lyme Disease

Alberta 07/19/11 vancouversun.com: by Jamie Komarnicki – The province is warning Albertans to guard against Lyme disease after five ticks were found this year carrying the Lyme bacteria. The ticks, which tested positive for Lyme disease bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, were found on four dogs and a cat. The animals live in the Calgary and Edmonton area. “Lyme disease can be a serious condition if it’s not detected early and is left untreated,” said Dr. Andre Corriveau, Alberta’s chief medical office of health, in a news release. Prevention is the best defence against the disease, Corriveau noted. Covering up outdoors and using insect repellent help protect agaisnt the infected ticks. From 1989 to 2008, there were 20 cases of human Lyme disease reported in Alberta. Most of the cases were linked to travel in the U.S. or Europe. Health officials haven’t confirmed whether Alberta has an established population of the affected ticks. Lyme disease is recognized in humans as a circular, red rash starting at the tick bite three to 30 days after the bit occurs. The disease is linked to neurological and muscular problems, and the most serious cases can lead to recurrent meningitis, heart problems and arthritis.

Alaska reports Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning; California reports 38 Rodents with Hantavirus in San Diego County so far this year; West Nile Virus reports from California, Missouri, and Ohio; and Rabies reports from North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. CDC zoonotic disease summary for week ending June 11, 2011. Travel Warnings for India, and St. Lucia.

Illustration courtesy National Institutes of Health.

Alaska 06/23/11 state.ak.us: Epidemiology Bulletin –  On June 6, 2011, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology (SOE) received a report that a person had been medevaced from Metlakatla to Ketchikan due to possible paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).  SOE personnel conducted interviews and collected shellfish from ill persons and at implicated beaches. As a result, eight probable and five confirmed PSP cases were identified in Metlakatla. Additionally, while the epidemiologists were in Metlakatla, two persons were hospitalized in Ketchikan with suspected PSP. Subsequent active case finding in Ketchikan identified five more probable cases. One other confirmed case of PSP in Ketchikan had been reported to SOE in May. In total, 21 cases of PSP were identified in Southeast Alaska during May and June, 2011. Of these 21 cases, 15 (71%) were associated with cockles, four (19%) with blue mussels, one (5%) with butter clams and cockles, and one (5%) with unspecified clams. Four of the 21 (19%) ill persons were hospitalized; none died. Eight of the 21 (38%) ill persons had laboratory-confirmed PSP.

Metlakatla, Alaska

Implicated shellfish collected from both Metlakatla and Ketchikan tested positive for high levels of saxitoxin. PSP is a potentially fatal neuroparalytic condition that results from ingestion of saxitoxin, a marine toxin produced by dinoflagellate algae, that accumulates in bivalve mollusks. PSP can result in mild symptoms, such as short-lived parasthesia of the mouth or lips, or can cause severe illness with respiratory or cardiac involvement that can be fatal. Symptoms occur within minutes to hours of consumption.

Deer mouse

California 06/22/11 sdcounty.ca.gov: Press Release – Six rodents trapped during routine monitoring in the last week in North County and East County have tested positive for the potentially-deadly hantavirus. Infected rodents rarely pose a danger to people if they are in the wild and there has been just one non-fatal human case in the county, in 2004. But people can inhale hantavirus by stirring up rodent droppings, then get sick and even die. There is no treatment, vaccine or cure for hantavirus infections, which are deadly in 38 percent of cases. “People should never sweep up or vacuum rodent droppings or nesting material when they find it,” said Jack Miller, director of the County Department of Environmental Health. “Instead, they should ventilate closed areas for at least 30 minutes, and then carefully use bleach or a full-strength disinfectant before removing them.”

California vole

The best way people can prevent the disease is to keep mice out of houses, garages and sheds by sealing holes larger than the size of a dime, County officials said. Hantavirus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which begins with flu-like symptoms but can grow into severe breathing difficulties and even death. The rodents that tested positive during the last week included: two deer mice from Campo; one deer mouse each from Carlsbad and Escondido; one harvest mouse from Oceanside and a vole from Carlsbad. Thirty-eight rodents have tested positive for hantavirus in the county this year, compared to 21 in 2010. For more information, contact the County Department of Environmental Health at (858) 694-2888 or visit DEH’s Hantavirus page.

California 06/23/11 sacbee.com: by Bill Lindelof – Another dead crow suspected of carrying the West Nile Virus has been found in the Sacramento area. The bird was found in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood. Earlier, it was confirmed that a dead crow in Elk Grove had tested positive for the West Nile virus. In 2010, six deaths and 111 human West Nile Virus cases were reported in the state. To report dead birds, call the California Department of Public Health hotline at (877) 968-2473.

Missouri 06/23/11 st-louis.mo.us: Department of Health Press Release – Mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus have been discovered in communities ranging from Lemay to Florissant, although no human cases have been reported, according to the Saint Louis County Department of Health. Positive results have also been reported in mosquitoes in Mehlville, Richmond Heights, Clayton, Hanley Hills and Manchester.

North Carolina 06/22/11gastongazette.com: by Wade Allen – A Gastonia man killed a raccoon Monday that has tested positive for rabies, marking the third documented rabies case in Gaston this year. The raccoon attacked a dog belonging to Darren Wells, who lives on Acapulco Drive. The neighborhood is off Monterey Park Drive. He killed the raccoon Monday and contacted the Gaston County Animal Control officials, who investigated and sent the carcass to the State Diagnostics Lab in Raleigh. Wells declined to comment on the incident or the dog he turned over to Animal Control for euthanasia; it had not been vaccinated for rabies. In February, a rabid puppy was found off Hickory Grove Road near McAdenville, marking the first documented rabies case in 2011. The second involved a rabid raccoon that attacked farm animals at the Stanley home of Linda Burchfield. This marks the 23^rd documented case of rabies in Gaston County since 2006.

Ohio 06/23/11 dispatch.com: by Molly Gray – Two pools of mosquitoes collected by Columbus Public Health have tested positive for West Nile Virus. These are the first reported cases found in the city and state this season. The positive tests were collected from areas south of Downtown that were recently sprayed. For more information on West Nile Virus and weekly fogging schedules, go to www.publichealth.columbus.gov .

Pennsylvania 06/22/11 necn.com:  A fox is being tested for rabies after it bit a central Pennsylvania woman and attacked a wildlife officer who killed the animal after he was called in by local police. Blair County Wildlife Conservation Officer Stephen Hanczar tells the Altoona-Mirror that the animal “came directly at me” Tuesday. He had to knock the animal far enough away with the butt of his shotgun so he could kill it without destroying the animal’s head. The head was needed to complete tests for rabies, canine distemper and other diseases. Police in Logan Township, near Altoona, are not identifying the 23-year-old woman who was bitten on the heel by the fox while taking her dog outside Tuesday morning. She’s being treated for rabies as a precaution.

CDC-MMWR Week ending June 11, 2011 /60(23); 789-802:

Zoonotic disease cases in the U. S. by state reported to the CDC for the week ending June 11, 2011:

Babesiosis . . . 2 cases . . . New York (2);

Brucellosis . . . 1 . . . North Dakota;

Q Fever . . . 1 . . . Florida;

Tularemia . . . 1 . . . Indiana;

Ehrlichosis . . . 12 . . . Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Missouri (4), New York, Tennessee (3), Virginia;

Anaplasmosis . . . 4 . . . Maine (2), New York (2);

Giardia . . . 147 . . . Alabama (2), Arizona (2), California (15), Colorado (17), Florida (23), Georgia (12), Iowa, Idaho (2), Maine, Maryland (10), Michigan (3), Missouri (5), Nebraska (2), Nevada (2), New York (27), Ohio (6), Pennsylvania (3), Vermont (2), Virginia (3), Washington (7), Wisconsin (2);

 Lyme Disease . . . 233 . . . California, Connecticut (2), Delaware (7), Florida (4), Maine (2), Maryland (12), Michigan, New Hampshire (2), New Jersey, New York (56), Pennsylvania (118), Tennessee, Texas, Vermont (5), Virginia (16), Wisconsin (4);

Rabies, Animal . . . 62 . . . Alabama, Arizona, Kansas (2), Maine (2), Michigan, New York (9), North Dakota (3), Utah, Virginia (12), West Virginia (30).

Travel Warnings:

India 06/24/11 gulfnews.com: by Lata Rani –  Health experts have finally identified the “killer disease” which has killed close to 40 children, aged between two and eight years, in the past week, creating panic among the families in Bihar. The experts came to this conclusion after two days of extensive examination of victims in city hospitals and a study of symptoms noticed in them. All the victims had displayed high fever and bouts of unconsciousness as well as convulsions. “Right now we can say the reason for the deaths of children is encephalitis but at this stage it’s difficult to say what kind of encephalitis it is — whether Japanese or viral one. This can only be ascertained after a detailed clinical test,” Dr I.P. Chaudhary, a member of three-member central team from Federal Health Ministry, told the media Thursday.

St. Lucia 06/23/11 jamaicaobserver.com: Public health officials have warned of “disturbing” levels of dengue fever and leptospirosis cases on the island. The warning came as the health department launched a public education and clean-up campaign to rid the island of disease-carrying mosquitos and rats. Public health officials attributed the exceptionally high number of infections to the rainy weather in the aftermath of Hurricane Tomas in 2010, they told journalists yesterday.  Last month, there were over 40 recorded cases of dengue fever, which is spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. So so far this year there were 169 reported cases of dengue fever as compared to 95 cases in 2010 and only 18 in 2009, she said.

Michigan woman bitten by Rabid Groundhog; Alaska officials suspect animals at Wolf Country USA are illigal hybrids; New York City man claims Rat infestation exposing residents and pets to Leptospirosis; Lyme Disease expert believes film shown on PBS is deceptive and harmful to public; and Rabies reports from Arizona, Illinois (2), New Jersey, and South Carolina.

Groundhog. Photo by EIC. Wikimedia Commons.

Michigan 06/17/11 washingtonexaminer.com: A groundhog that bit a Southfield woman has tested positive for rabies, authorities said Friday. State health officials notified their counterparts in Oakland County of the positive test, Oakland County officials said in a release. It is the first case of rabies in a groundhog ever recorded in Michigan, according to the release. “As wild animals become more active in warmer weather, the possibility of human contact increases,” county health officer Kathy Forzley said. “Our natural instinct is to befriend a baby animal, pet one that seems friendly or help an injured animal. But stray and wild animals should be avoided.” Groundhogs also are known as woodchucks. They are common in many parts of Michigan and often roam into backyards in Detroit and its suburbs. The animals prefer to remain hidden and typically are seen at dawn and dusk. Officials did not give details on the Southfield woman, when she was bitten or the severity of the bite. Southfield is just north of Detroit.

Alaska 06/16/11 fronteirsman.com: by Andrew Wellner – State law enforcement officials descended on Wolf Country USA Thursday to run tests and confirm that animals there are wolves or wolf hybrids. Alaska State Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said from the scene that the group of officials there numbered 15 to 20 and included troopers, officers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and state biologists. Peters said a 2002 law outlawed the ownership of wolf hybrids and that anyone who owned one at that time needed to get a permit. An affidavit wildlife trooper Sgt. Katrina Malm filed in court to get the search warrant says that neither of the property’s owners — Werner and Gail Schuster — received any such permit. In fact, the state has never issued one. Alaska Department of Fish and Game spokeswoman Cathie Harms said purebred wolves fall under a different law since they are considered wildlife. No one can own wildlife without a very special and rare permit only issued for people who want the animals for scientific or educational purposes. Schuster said troopers woke him up at 7 a.m. He said there are 40 animals on the property, including puppies. He’s been in business 25 years and said the complaint against him started with someone who has a beef with him over a land dispute and that he disputes the science behind the laws. (For complete article go to http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2011/06/16/local_news/doc4dfa5f5e6b185225122064.txt )

New York 06/17/11 greenpointnews.com: by McCarton Ackerman – A Jackson Street resident is speaking out after losing his beloved pet to a fatal disease, in the hopes that others will not suffer the same fate. Phillip Montana recently had to euthanize his 4-year-old dog, Simba, after he contracted leptospirosis, a disease transmitted through contact with infected animal urine, usually from rats.

Manhattan Ave & Jackson St

Like much of New York City, Montana’s home base of Jackson Street and Manhattan Avenue suffers from an infestation of rats. Even more worrisome to Montana is the safety of his daughters, since leptospirosis is transmittable from animal-to-human. “Simba shared a bed with my daughter,” said Montana. Montana said that he has filed complaints about the infestation to 311 and the Department of Health over the past two years, but has not received a response. “Every house on Skillman Avenue is complaining now too, this has to be a joint effort within the area.” After Simba’s death, Montana contacted Assemblyman Joe Lentol’s office, and Lentol, a long-time animal advocate vowed to take action. “My district office staff has contacted the NYC Department of Health to ask them to immediately bait the area and to help local homeowners bait in their backyards too,” said Lentol. “The NYC Department of Health must act expeditiously to help protect our pets from leptospirosis and from its spread to humans.” Montana is hopeful that Lentol can help. “It’s the first time I’ve heard about him saying he will go directly to the homeowners, because that’s what needs to be done,” he said. “If they don’t take care of their homes front to back, the rats are going to find something to eat there.” According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, leptospirosis is a rare and severe bacterial infection caused by exposure to several types of the leptospira bacteria, which can be found in fresh water contaminated by animal urine. Although it is transferrable from animals to humans, it is not transmitted from person-to-person contact. (For complete article go to http://www.greenpointnews.com/news/3448/potentially-deadly-infection-hits-jackson-street )

National 06/19/11 baltimoresun.com: by Dan Rodricks – Maryland Public Television is set to air a polemical film about Lyme disease that is built on fear-provoking speculations and assertions while advancing a central message that has been discredited by experts in infectious diseases. Despite being apprised of the film’s serious flaws, MPT has “Under Our Skin: A Health Care Nightmare” on its afternoon schedule for June 26. Other stations throughout the Public Broadcasting Service also have “Under Our Skin: on their schedules; some already aired it. The program was distributed free to stations by the National Educational Telecommunications Association. But one of the leading PBS stations in the country, WGBH in Boston, dropped it this month. “The decision was based on our own, internal editorial concerns that surfaced on closer review of the film,” explained Jeanne Hopkins, a WGBH vice president.

Dr. Philip Baker

One of the likely influences was Philip Baker, a longtime research scientist for the National Institutes of Health and executive director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation. He believes “Under Our Skin” is deceptive and potentially harmful to the public; he complained about its airing to PBS and to MPT. “A partisan film such as this,” Mr. Baker wrote, “can only undermine public health by encouraging naïve individuals to seek unproven remedies to relieve symptoms that, though deserving of appropriate medical treatment and care, may well have nothing to do with Lyme disease.” (To read Dr. Baker’s complete review go to http://www.aldf.com/Under_Our_Skin.shtml )           (For complete article go to http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-rodricks-lyme-20110618,0,5503947.column )

Arizona 06/17/11 verdenews.com: by Steve Ayers – The Arizona Game and Fish Department has reported three separate rabid skunk attacks on humans over the weekend. All three attacks were in the Granite Bain area near Prescott. However, Jeff Pebworht, wildlife programs manager with the AGFD Kingman office warns that summertime is when rabies incidents escalate statewide. “It’s a combination of factors,” says Pebworth, “Rabies is a little more prevalent in the animal population during the summer months, there also more young skunks out at the time and there are more people out in the woods making the likelihood of contact higher.” Typically most cases of rabid animals involve skunks and to a lesser degree bats and foxes. AGFD Public Information Officer Zen Mocarski warns that skunks are nocturnal animals and any seen during the day approaching humans should be assumed to have rabies and to be avoided. Game and Fish also reminds people recreating in the woods to avoid all contact with wild animals and to keep their pets on a leash to minimize contact with wild animals “Keep in mind that skunks are also prone to take up residence in your neighborhood. You don’t have to be in the woods to come in contact with a rabid animal,” says Pebworth. Anyone encountering an animal exhibiting unusual behavior should contact the AGFD at 800-352-0700 of the Verde Ranger Station, (928) 567-4121.

Illinois 06/17/11 pantagraph.com: A bat found outside of a Bloomington home is McLean County’s first rabies positive bat in 2011. Last year, McLean County had 10 bats test positive for rabies.

Illinois 06/17/11 patch.com: by Amie Schaenzer – The first rabid bat of the year was reported this past week in McHenry County. The bat did not have any contact with a human and was found in Woodstock, according to the McHenry County Department of Health press release. McHenry County had the most rabid bats reported among Illinois counties in 2010; several area counties also already have reported rabid bats this year, according to the MCDH. For a rabies fact sheet, visit the Illinois Department of Health’s website.

New Jersey 06/17/11 pressofatlanticcity.com: by Caitlin Dineen – A raccoon found on Walnut Avenue in Northfield earlier this month tested positive for rabies, Atlantic County officials said Friday. The animal was collected June 11. According to officials from the Atlantic County Division of Public Health, the raccoon entered the back yard of a residence and appeared to be lethargic and walking “wobbly.” Animal Control officials removed the raccoon from the location. It is unknown if a dog located in the same yard at the time had any contact with the animal. Officials said the dog is current being vaccinated.

South Carolina 06/17/11 wsoctv.com: A barking dog helped alert a Chester County woman to a potentially dangerous situation in her own yard. “Belle just wouldn’t quit barking, and she went over to the garage and went crazy,” said Beth Wooten, who lives on Charity Road in the Lowrys community. Her dog was staring down a red fox that was sitting in her detached garage. “At first, I thought how pretty he was because he was bright red,” Wooten said. “Then a couple of seconds later I realized, he shouldn’t be here.” It was the middle of the afternoon last week when Wooten and her husband, Sam, found the fox. She said she knew it was sick. “It looked glassy-eyed and its mouth was half open. He had lost a lot of hair and was real thin,” she said. Her husband shot the fox with a pistol and they took it to their veterinarian in nearby McConnells. They were concerned about Belle because she had been close to the fox. Two days later, Department of Health and Environmental Control tests showed the fox was rabid. Eyewitness News called DHEC to ask about rabies cases this year. So far in 2011, 36 wild animals have tested positive for rabies statewide, and they have mostly been foxes. York County has had four. There were 106 rabies cases in wild animals in 2010 for the entire year, and 152 in 2009.

Michigan legislator would declare Feral Hogs an invasive species and ban commercial hog ranch hunting; New York legislation would reinstate use of Snare Traps; and Rabies reports from Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Travel Warnings for the Philippine Islands.

Feral hogs. Courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Michigan 06/14/11 wilx.com: by Jamie Edmonds – Pork producing in Michigan is a half a billion dollar industry, but it’s in danger some say, because of the outbreak of feral swine.  ”An outbreak of diseases, we know these feral animals cause, could result in a quarantine of Michigan hogs moving out of the state,” Sam Hines of Michigan Pork Producers said.  And, it’s not just pork and livestock that farmers say are threatened.  ”Feral swine destroy fields, destroy crops,” John Cnudde, chairman of the board of Michigan Agri-Business Association, said. “I’ve seen firsthand how overnight they can destroy an acre of corn.”  The DNR can’t confirm how many feral swine are out there, but it estimates it’s in the thousands. So far, wild pigs have been spotted in 72 of Michigan’s 83 counties.  ”We’re bringing in wild boars for hunting purposes, they’re escaping and breeding in the wild and becoming feral,” Sen. Rick Jones (R) Grand Ledge said.  It’s time says Jones to ban that operation altogether. Tuesday he proposed legislation that designates wild hogs as invasive species and bans recreational shooting on ranches.  ”Michigan agriculture is a 72 billion industry,” he said. “We can’t jeopardize that. It’s too much money, it’s too many jobs.”  But, for the 50 or so gaming ranchers in this state, it could be lights out. Rep. Ed McBroom, a dairy farmer from the Upper Peninsula, said that’s too harsh.  ”They are bringing in tourists, and hunters from around the world,” McBroom, (R) Menominee, said.  He does admit there are problems, which is why he proposed legislation that would regulate the industry, not, in his words, destroy it.  ”In order to make sure people who can comply with restrictions can stay in business,” he said.  Jones said it’s time to nip this problem in the bud before it gets worse. He said the agriculture industry here is too important not to.  Ted Nugent, an avid hunter, has been a vocal opponent of an all-out ban. We talked with his son, Toby, who runs a pig ranch near Jackson. He and his father would prefer regulations that weed out ranch owners who aren’t following the rules, rather than an all-out ban. If nothing is done legislatively, feral swine will make the Michigan invasive species list July 8^th.

New York 06/15/11 ammoland.com: Senate Bill 4213, sponsored by Sen. Mark J. Grisanti (R- North Buffalo), would permit the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to allow live cable restraints, commonly called snares, to be used by trappers. Currently, New York prohibits the use of all snares. This bill has been approved by the Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation and is now pending on the floor of the Senate. Identical legislation, AB 6203 sponsored by Assemblyman Dennis H. Gabryszak (D- Cheektowaga), is currently pending in the Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation. “If passed, these bills will give the DEC and New York trappers an additional method to manage wildlife,” said Evan Heusinkveld, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance director of state services. “Cable snares are used across the country and are a proven and effective way for trappers to harvest wildlife.” Biologists from coast to coast rely on trapping as an essential aspect of wildlife management. It is particularly important for predator control and to minimize diseases such as rabies.

Alabama 06/15/11 alabama.gov: Press Release – A rabid fox in the Summerdale area in Baldwin County has prompted public officials to encourage pet owners to be sure their dogs, cats and ferrets are vaccinated against the fatal disease. This is the third animal with confirmed rabies in Baldwin County this year. Rabid raccoons were confirmed in Montrose in March and Belforest earlier this month.

Colorado 06/15/11 timescall.com: A dead bat found last week in the back yard of a home near East Fourth Avenue and Kensington Street was rabid, and health officials are encouraging people throughout the county to take precautions to reduce their risk of exposure to the fatal disease. Residents discovered the bat on June 7, and tests by a state laboratory found it positive for rabies, according to Marshall Lipps, an environmental health specialist with Boulder County Public Health. This was this warm-weather season’s first confirmed rabid-bat case in Longmont, although Boulder County Public Health reported earlier this month that two bats in the city of Boulder had also tested positive for rabies. Lipps said he posted warning signs in the immediate Longmont neighborhood to alert people frequenting that eastside area to be cautious when they find bats inside their houses or on the ground. But he also warned that people anywhere should avoid picking up fallen bats or taking them away from a family pet.

Florida 06/15/11 wjhg.com: by T.G. Harkrider Jr., Environmental Health Director, Jackson Co. Health Department – A raccoon received by Health Department staff on June 10, 2011 has tested positive for rabies according to lab results received from the Department of Health Pensacola Branch Lab. The raccoon fought with a dog on Merritts Mill Rd., Northeast of Marianna.. The dog has been placed in quarantine to prevent possible spread of the disease.

Georgia 06/15/11 albanyherald.com: by J.D. Sumner – Health officials say that they believe, in all likelihood, that a rabid fox responsible for infecting three people near Darton College last week is dead. While no carcass has been found, Carolyn Maschke of the Southwest Georgia Public Health District, said that animals with full-blown rabies typically don’t live more than a few days. “The fox is still nowhere to be found, but we feel pretty strongly that it’s likely dead,” Maschke said. Still, Mashcke and the public health community are urging the public to be vigilant when it comes to their pets and other animals as the fox or other rabies-infected animals could have passed the disease along before it died.

North Carolina 06/15/11 carborocitizen.com: A raccoon in Chapel Hill tested positive for rabies June 8 after a fatal tussle Jun 1with a dog in the vicinity of White Cross Road. A resident of the area came home to find his dog smeared with blood and the raccoon dead in his driveway. The resident kept the raccoon in his freezer until he turned it over to Orange County Animal Control. North Carolina law requires that the dog be euthanized since it did not have a rabies vaccination.

Virginia 06/15/11 dailypress.com: by Tyra M. Vaughn – The Peninsula Health District is encouraging York County and Poquoson residents to avoid contact with wild animals after a raccoon located in the Meadowview Drive area of the county tested positive for rabies. The health district made the announcement Friday and is asking residents to enjoy wildlife from a distance, said Dave Jordan, environmental health manager of the district.

Wisconsin 06/14/11 madison.com: by Bill Novak — Verona police are looking for information about a dog that bit a participant in the Hometown Days parade in Verona on Sunday. According to the police news release, the 20-year-old parade participant was bitten by what was believed to be a brown pit bull type of dog, with white markings on the face or throat. The dog was on a leash and accompanied by a family with two small children. After the bite incident, the dog was found in a parked car on Paoli Street. Police want to talk to the family to find out the dog’s rabies vaccination status. Anyone with information is asked to call Verona police at 845-7623.

Travel Warnings:

Philippine Islands 06/14/11 examiner.com: by Robert Herriman – The massive flooding, which occurred in this region of the Philippines last March, has already caused a large influx of schistosomiasis* cases in the area according to health officials in Palo, Leyte. However, there are dangers of more infectious diseases for the people of this area of the archipelago thanks to the flooding. The Department of Health (DOH) in the Eastern Visayas reported Monday that the number of leptospirosis cases in the first half of the year has already doubled all of last year’s cases. Health officials are pointing at the March flooding as the cause of the increase in cases. DOH officials report there have been 49 cases in the Eastern Visayas so far with eight deaths dues to the bacterial pathogen. The highest number of cases has been seen in Tacloban and Palo, the two cities hit hardest by the rains of March. Leptospirosis is a spirochetal bacterial infection caused by Leptospira interrogans. Exposure to fresh water and wet soil contaminated by the urine of an infected animal, rats being the most common, is how humans typically pick up the infection. It is commonly considered an occupational disease for those who work outdoors or with animals. Recreational activities, which involve exposure to fresh water contaminated with infected animal urine, are also a risk for leptospirosis. Weil’s disease is the more severe phase of leptospirosis where the person may have kidney or liver failure (jaundice) or meningitis.

* A parasitic disease caused by trematode flatworms. Larval forms of these parasites, which are released by freshwater snails, penetrate the skin of people and cause both acute and chronic disease.

USGS study finds Lichens may be key to fighting Chronic Wasting Disease; CDC learns pet Frog breeder source of Salmonella outbreak; FDA approves new test for Toxoplasmosis; Hantavirus reports from Colorado, and Maine; a Coyote report from Mississipppi; Lyme Disease forums to be held in New Hampshire, and New Jersey; and Rabies reports from New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia. Travel Warnings for Dominica.

Bull moose. Public domain photo. Wikimedia Commons.

National 05/18/11 eurekalert.org: Certain lichens can break down the infectious proteins responsible for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a troubling neurological disease fatal to wild deer and elk and spreading throughout the United States and Canada, according to U.S. Geological Survey research published today in the journal PLoS ONE.  Like other “prion” diseases, CWD is caused by unusual, infectious proteins called prions. One of the best-known of these diseases is “mad cow” disease, a cattle disease that has infected humans. However, there is no evidence that CWD has infected humans. Disease-causing prions, responsible for some incurable neurological diseases of people and other diseases in animals, are notoriously difficult to decontaminate or kill. Prions are not killed by most detergents, cooking, freezing, or by autoclaving, a method used to sterilize medical instruments.

Dr. Christopher Johnson

“When prions are released into the environment by infected sheep or deer, they can stay infectious for many years, even decades,” said Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., a scientist at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and the lead author of the study. “To help limit the spread of these diseases in animals, we need to be able to remove prions from the environment.” The researchers found that lichens have great potential for safely reducing the number of prions because some lichen species contain a protease enzyme (a naturally produced chemical) capable of significantly breaking down prions in the lab.

Whitetail deer with CWD

“This work is exciting because there are so few agents that degrade prions and even fewer that could be used in the environment without causing harm,” said Jim Bennett, Ph.D., a USGS lichenologist and a co-author of the study.  CWD and scrapie in sheep are different than other prion diseases because they can easily spread in sheep or deer by direct animal-to-animal contact or through contact with contaminated inanimate objects like soil. Chronic wasting disease was first diagnosed in the 1960s and has since been detected in 19 states and two Canadian provinces. CWD has been detected in wild elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and moose in North America.  Lichens, said Johnson, produce unique and unusual organic compounds that aid their survival and can have antibiotic, antiviral and other chemotherapeutic activities. In fact, pharmaceutical companies have been examining the medicinal properties of lichens more closely in recent years.

Lichens on rocks.

Lichens – which are often mistaken for moss – are unusual plant-like organisms that are actually a symbioses of fungi, algae and bacteria living together. They usually live on soil, bark, leaves and wood and can live in barren and unwelcoming environments, including the Arctic and in deserts.  Future work will examine the effect of lichens on prions in the environment and determine if lichen consumption can protect animals from acquiring prion diseases. Contact: Gail Moede gmrogall@usgs.gov 608-270-2438 United States Geological Survey

National 05/20/11 cdc.gov: mmwr 60(19);628 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with state and local public health departments in an ongoing investigation of human Salmonella Typhimurium infections associated with African dwarf frogs (ADFs). ADFs are aquatic frogs commonly kept in home aquariums as pets. From April 1, 2009 to May 10, 2011, a total of 224 human infections with a unique strain of S. Typhimurium were reported from 42 states. This outbreak likely includes considerably more than the 224 laboratory-confirmed cases reported to CDC; only an estimated 3% of Salmonella infections are laboratory confirmed and reported to surveillance systems.

The median age of patients in this outbreak was 5 years (range: <1–67 years), and 70% (156 of 223) were aged <10 years. No deaths have been reported, but 30% (37 of 123) of patients were hospitalized. Sixty-five percent (56 of 86) of patients interviewed reported contact with frogs in the week before illness; 82% (45 of 55) reported that this contact took place in the home. Of those who could recall the type of frog, 85% (29 of 34) identified ADFs. Median time from acquiring a frog to illness onset was 15 days (range: 7–240 days).

African Dwarf Frog

Samples collected during 2009–2011 from aquariums housing ADFs in six homes of patients yielded the S. Typhimurium outbreak strain. Traceback investigations conducted during 2009–2011 from 21 patient homes and two ADF distributors identified a breeder in California as the common source of ADFs. This breeder sells ADFs to distributors, not directly to pet stores or to the public. Environmental samples collected at the breeding facility in January 2010, April 2010, and March 2011 yielded the outbreak strain. Based on these epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory findings, the breeder voluntarily suspended distribution of ADFs on April 19, 2011. Public health officials are working with the breeder to implement control measures.

Distribution of ADFs currently is unregulated by federal or state agencies. To prevent infection, the public needs to be aware of the risk of Salmonella infections associated with keeping amphibians, including frogs, as pets. Education of consumers, health-care professionals, and the pet industry is needed. Persons at high-risk for Salmonella infections, especially children <5 years, pregnant women, and immunocompromised persons, should avoid contact with frogs, water used by the frogs, and their habitats. Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/water-frogs-0411.

National 05/19/11 usnews.com: A new test to detect whether a toxoplasmosis infection has been acquired within the past four months has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Vidas Toxo IgG Avidity Assay — approved for people with a toxoplasmosis infection confirmed by other methods — can be used to validate whether infection by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite is less than four months old. Human antibodies triggered by the parasite behave differently after four months than they do initially. Toxoplasmosis, sometimes called “cat scratch disease” can be passed from mother to unborn child. The infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or an abnormally sized fetal head. In the child’s later life, it can lead to vision loss, mental impairment or seizures, the FDA said in a news release. While exposure to cats and used cat litter are primary methods of transmission, toxoplasmosis also can be transmitted by other animals and birds. And the parasite can be acquired by eating raw or undercooked meat. Typical warning signs among people include swollen lymph nodes and flu-like symptoms, the FDA said. The test is produced by bioMerieux Inc., based in Hazelwood, Mo.

Colorado 05/19/11 epcan.com: by Janet Huntington – Elbert resident Nikki Clark wasn’t thinking about Hantaviruswhen she cleaned out her tack room. It was simple spring cleaning at the Clark residence. When she first began to feel ill on April 17, Clark assumed she had the flu. She was still able to work, but within three days she had developed pneumonia-like symptoms and was home in bed. Another three days passed and she was admitted to the hospital. Four days later her blood work showed she had Hantavirus and Clark and her husband, realtor Pete Clark, learned her life was in danger. “This disease attacks your lungs and heart. It is imperative that you get oxygen into your system…The statistics are, of the people entering the hospital for this virus, 50% don’t make it,” Clark said in a written statement. “My recovery has been very slow, but I see

Deer mouse

an improvement every day. Because of the low recovery rate, the doctors don’t know too much about normal recovery time,” she added.

Maine 05/18/11 bangordailynews.com: A 70-year-old Somerset County man who has the dubious distinction of becoming Maine’s first-ever case of Hantavirus has survived thanks to a quick medical response, according to an article written by Meg Haskell and published in the Bangor Daily News.  Dr. Stephen Sears, Maine’s state epidemiologist, said the man was treated in the intensive care unit of a local hospital and is now recovering in a rehab facility.  Dr. Sears said state inspectors found the man’s home was contaminated with mice.  Hantavirus is associated with deer mice and other rodents.

Mississippi 05/17/11 sunherald.com: by Mary Perez – Biloxi – Coyotes are killing pets and scaring residents throughout the city and Councilman Tom Wall said Tuesday the city has to find some way to deal with them before a child is mutilated or killed. “It seems to be a growing problem,” said Paul Mallery, one of a half-dozen residents who came to Tuesday’s Council meeting with their concerns.  “I’ve seen them in the street,” Mallery said.  One neighbor saw a coyote at the back door and he said a friend in the Woolmarket area watched a coyote grab his dog and carry it into the woods. Mallery said the city also has red foxes, which carry disease. “It’s like we’re under siege,” he said. Biloxi Police Lt. Harold Windom said he doesn’t know how to get rid of coyotes. Experts with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries told the police three effective methods are traps, poison and snares.  But Windom said these solutions, or shooting the animals, can’t safely be used in a city near so many children and pets. Windom said he would continue to look for some way to get the coyotes out of city neighborhoods.

New Hampshire 05/20/11 cabinet.com: by Sarah Clough – There will be a Lyme disease awareness evening Monday, May 23, at 6:30 in the Merrimack High School Little Theater. “Under Our Skin” will be shown, followed by a Q-and-A session with David Hunter, facilitator of the Greater Manchester Lyme Disease Support Group. Admission is free. For more information, e-mail sarah.clough@merrimack.k12.nh.us.

New Jersey 05/19/11 nj.com: The Salem County Health Department has confirmed the first case of rabies in the county for the year. A stray cat attacked a Pilesgrove woman here on May 15 at her home while she was taking out her recyclables. The cat bit the woman’s leg and latched on until the woman kicked the cat off, officials said in a press release on Wednesday. The cat hid until Ned Shimp, animal control officer, came to retrieve it. Shimp euthanized the cat and sent it to the state for testing, according to the release. The state confirmed that the stray cat was positive for rabies. The woman immediately went to South Jersey Healthcare-Elmer Hospital for post-exposure rabies treatment. For more information, please contact the Salem County Health Department at (856) 935-7510, ext. 8484 or visit www.cshealth.org .

New Jersey 05/19/11 northjersey.com: River Vale – On Wednesday, May 25, “ABC’s of Lyme Disease and Other Tick Borne Illnesses” will be presented at the River Vale Community/Senior Center. The free program, which will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m., will be presented by Kim Uffleman, a former board member of the Lyme Disease Association of New Jersey. For more information visit http://www.rivervalenj.org or call the health department at 201-664-2346.

Texas 05/18/11 kwtx.com: A skunk found a week ago in the backyard of a home on Regina Drive in Hewitt has tested positive for rabies, police said Wednesday. Hewitt police and Woodway animal control officers were attempting Wednesday to contact residents whose pets might have come into contact with the skunk. The effort is primarily focused on an area of Hewitt that includes the 600 block of Regina Drive and the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Dendron Drive.

Virginia 05/18/11 suffolknewsherald.com: by Tracy Agnew – A dog bitten by a fox in the Person Street area of Suffolk last week had to be euthanized after the fox tested positive for rabies, according to the Suffolk Health Department. The dog had not been vaccinated for rabies. The owner, who was also bitten, has started a course of treatment to prevent rabies. The incident happened in the same area as a series of events May 6-7 in which a rabid fox attacked two children and a dog before being killed by the dog.

Travel Warnings:

Dominica 05/19/11 stabroeknews.com: The Government of Dominica has warned about an outbreak of Leptospirosis which has claimed the lives of the Director Agriculture on the island and another man, according to the Caribbean Media Corporation. CMC said that the director Richard Allport, died from the disease this week. The disease is most often transmitted in floodwater through contact with rat urine. Guyana had a serious outbreak of this disease in 2005 during the Great Flood. “The Ministry of Health in Dominica wishes to inform the general public that the outbreak of Leptospirosis announced by the Ministry last year has not yet subsided,” a Dominica Government statement said, according to CMC.