Published Date: 2012-11-02 16:21:14
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies - USA (21): (FL) canine, human exposure
Archive Number: 20121102.1387639
RABIES - USA (21): (FLORIDA) CANINE, HUMAN EXPOSURE
***************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Mon 29 Oct 2012
Source: Florida Today [edited]
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012121029017&nclick_check=1
A coyote that attacked and bit a woman in Malabar last week [22-27 Oct 2012] has tested positive for rabies, Brevard County Health Department officials reported today [29 Oct 2012].
The positive confirmation of the disease prompted Brevard County health officials to issue a rabies warning to the general public to be on the lookout for animals acting strangely and to avoid contact with wild animals.
The coyote attack happened 24 Oct 2012 on Hall Road in Malabar, where the victim lived. The unidentified woman is now undergoing a series of rabies shots to prevent the onset of the deadly virus, health officials report.
Authorities said the coyote appeared sick when it was first spotted Wednesday afternoon [24 Oct 2012] near the 2000 block of Duncil Lane before darting off into the a nearby wooded area.
About 5:30 p.m. Friday [26 Oct 2012] the victim was bitten by the coyote moments before the woman's daughter-in-law shot the creature dead. The victim was then taken to Palm Bay Community Hospital while the coyote's remains were collected and sent for a necropsy along with rabies testing.
Friday, the Brevard County Health Department received a confirmation of rabies, a disease which attacks the central nervous system. Dog and cat owners are also asked to update rabies records and to report any sickness in animals, health officials report. Call 321-454-7111 for information.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>
[In countries where the control of canine rabies has been achieved, some wildlife species serve as the main reservoirs. The dominant carnivore species of a given region usually plays an important role in the circulation and maintenance of terrestrial rabies. In the USA, terrestrial rabies persists in raccoons, foxes, and coyotes. The most common species that is source of the virus in Florida is the raccoon. Coyote rabies is a more common problem in Texas.
It is very important to make sure to keep the vaccination schemes of all dogs in the area up to date.
The proportion of un-owned dogs and cats, or owned ones that are allowed to roam freely, is very high. Moreover, a large percentage of the latter never receive vaccinations or medical treatment.
The state of Florida can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at http://healthmap.org/r/3Z11. Brevard County can be seen on the map at http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/county-map/florida.shtml. - Mod.PMB]
http://www.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=20121102.1387639
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies - USA (21): (FL) canine, human exposure
Archive Number: 20121102.1387639
RABIES - USA (21): (FLORIDA) CANINE, HUMAN EXPOSURE
***************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Mon 29 Oct 2012
Source: Florida Today [edited]
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012121029017&nclick_check=1
A coyote that attacked and bit a woman in Malabar last week [22-27 Oct 2012] has tested positive for rabies, Brevard County Health Department officials reported today [29 Oct 2012].
The positive confirmation of the disease prompted Brevard County health officials to issue a rabies warning to the general public to be on the lookout for animals acting strangely and to avoid contact with wild animals.
The coyote attack happened 24 Oct 2012 on Hall Road in Malabar, where the victim lived. The unidentified woman is now undergoing a series of rabies shots to prevent the onset of the deadly virus, health officials report.
Authorities said the coyote appeared sick when it was first spotted Wednesday afternoon [24 Oct 2012] near the 2000 block of Duncil Lane before darting off into the a nearby wooded area.
About 5:30 p.m. Friday [26 Oct 2012] the victim was bitten by the coyote moments before the woman's daughter-in-law shot the creature dead. The victim was then taken to Palm Bay Community Hospital while the coyote's remains were collected and sent for a necropsy along with rabies testing.
Friday, the Brevard County Health Department received a confirmation of rabies, a disease which attacks the central nervous system. Dog and cat owners are also asked to update rabies records and to report any sickness in animals, health officials report. Call 321-454-7111 for information.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>
[In countries where the control of canine rabies has been achieved, some wildlife species serve as the main reservoirs. The dominant carnivore species of a given region usually plays an important role in the circulation and maintenance of terrestrial rabies. In the USA, terrestrial rabies persists in raccoons, foxes, and coyotes. The most common species that is source of the virus in Florida is the raccoon. Coyote rabies is a more common problem in Texas.
It is very important to make sure to keep the vaccination schemes of all dogs in the area up to date.
The proportion of un-owned dogs and cats, or owned ones that are allowed to roam freely, is very high. Moreover, a large percentage of the latter never receive vaccinations or medical treatment.
The state of Florida can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at http://healthmap.org/r/3Z11. Brevard County can be seen on the map at http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/county-map/florida.shtml. - Mod.PMB]
http://www.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=20121102.1387639