We have had a few warm days in Ithaca, and I can see some of the grass in our yard as the snow melts. Spring is on its way! Along with the warmer days comes a downside: rabies season.
Humans are more likely to be exposed to rabies in the spring as hibernating animals wake up and bats begin roosting in attics. I learned about this phenomenon the hard way. Five years ago, my husband and I woke up on a Sunday morning to find a bat in our shower. (I wrote about the experience at the time, but given the health implications of rabies, I thought the topic was worth revisiting.)
My husband caught the bat and released it into our yard without thinking much about it. Luckily, I ran into a friend the next day who warned me about the dangers of rabies. A quick Internet search revealed our little visitor may have been more dangerous than we realized. I found an article published by our local hospital titled “Springtime Means Rabies in New York State,” which includes the following passage:
“Anyone who is bitten, scratched, or exposed to the saliva of an animal with rabies is at risk for contracting this fatal virus. While there is a very effective vaccine for rabies, it must be administered before any symptoms of the disease appear. Once human beings develop symptoms of rabies, they face certain death. Call the Health Department immediately for any contact with bats, even if a bat is found in the home without having definitely bitten someone.“
Some more research revealed that 22 people in the U.S. have been infected with rabies since 1990. Of those, 20 contracted the disease from bats. Only one of these cases involved a clearly documented bat bite. In the others, there was a bat encounter but no bite was detected. I also learned in the state of New York, 4 percent of bats encountered by people are found to be rabid.
A call to our local health department verified our entire family needed the rabies vaccine series. The chance that we were actually exposed to rabies was still rather slim, but that wasn’t a risk I was willing to take considering the consequence was “certain death.”
What’s the take-home message for you? Rabies is an extremely small but real threat in the springtime. The state of New York offers an evidence-based report about bat rabies, its history and how to protect yourself. Other animals – such as raccoons, skunks and even dogs and cats – can also carry rabies. Here are some tips to help you stay safe:
- Don’t feed, touch or adopt wild animals, stray dogs or cats. If you see an animal that is sick, injured or orphaned, call an animal control officer. Do not handle the animal yourself.
- Vaccinate your pets.
- Don’t attract wild animals to your home or yard.
- Get wild animals removed from your home. If nuisance wild animals are living in parts of your home, consult with a nuisance wildlife control expert about having them removed.
- Teach children not to touch any animal they do not know and to tell an adult immediately if they are bitten by any animal.
- Report all animal bites or contact with wild animals to your local health department.
Speak Your Mind