Steuben County sounds the alarm over increase in rabies cases

Steuben County health officials are concerned about a huge increase in the number of confirmed cases of rabies this year.

Officials are warning the public to avoiding contact with animals after the number of people who needed to start rabies treatment more than doubled compared to the first half of 2017.

Rabies investigations in Steuben County between January and July 15 have led to 50 cases of people needing the life-saving treatment PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis).

During the same period last year, there were 20 cases reported.

“Most of our reports are about undomesticated animals, like bats, raccoons and stray cats,” said county Public Health Director Darlene Smith. “We don’t want to alarm anyone, but we are trying to educate people on the need to not handle wild animals.”

Rabies is a virus found in mammals that is most commonly spread by the bite of an infected animal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rabies is fatal if not treated before symptoms appear, which is why people will often begin treatment even if it's only suspected they were exposed to a rabid animal.

The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the CDC each year occur in wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.

That is the case in Steuben County, where 18 people needed to start treatment because of exposure to rabid raccoons. One raccoon was responsible for exposing eight people, according to county health officials.

Eleven people received PEP because of stray cats, and eight people received the treatment due to dogs whose owners were unknown. Two people were treated because of foxes and one person because of a skunk.

Steuben County Public Health also reported 10 people have received PEP due to bat exposure in 2018.

The risk of exposure to rabid bats increases in late summer.

“Every year, the number of people receiving PEP increases sharply due to exposure to bats in the late summer,” Smith said. “Bats have extremely tiny teeth, so it is very important to catch a bat if a person wakes up to a bat in their room. Catching and testing the bat may save people from needing to receive treatment.”

Mixed results in other counties

In Tioga County, New York, the number of reported cases is much smaller than in Steuben, but those confirmed cases have increased as well, according to Kylie Holochak, county public health educator.

During the first half of 2018, five animals tested positive for rabies, compared to three in the same period last year, Holochak said. 

Thirty-eight people have been treated with the rabies series so far this year, compared to 28 last year, she said.

The best way to avoid exposure is to give wildlife a wide berth, Holochak said.

"We have seen multiple cases of people coming in contact with wild animals, sometimes babies that were abandoned by mom," she said. "People are tempted to keep the animal, and that’s never a good idea. Don’t touch wild animals, including feral cats. We aren’t sure which animals have rabies. Once signs of rabies start to show in a human, it’s too late. Rabies is 100 percent fatal."

Chemung County, meanwhile, seems to be bucking the trend.

The county is seeing a decline in reported cases, and Public Health Director Peter Buzzetti isn't sure why.

"We’re just not getting the same cases we typically get this time of year, not animals for testing or pets, and not getting bite reports," Buzzetti said. "I’m hoping the law of averages doesn’t catch up with us too quickly, but this is what we’re seeing."

That doesn't mean county residents should get complacent about rabies, Buzzetti said, noting that bats will be more active in the coming weeks.

Buzzetti also reminds residents that the county offers regular free rabies vaccination clinics, meaning there's no excuse not to get pets protection.

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Avoiding rabies exposure

• Don't feed, touch or adopt wild animals, stray dogs or cats.
• Be sure pet dogs, cats and ferrets as well as horses and valuable livestock animals are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. 
• Keep family pets indoors at night. Don't leave them outside unattended or let them roam free.
• Don't attract wild animals to your home or yard. Keep your property free of stored bird seed or other foods that may attract wild animals. Feed pets indoors. 
• 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.
• If a wild animal is on your property, let it wander away. Bring children and pets indoors and alert neighbors who are outside. 
• Report all animal bites or contact with wild animals to your county health department. If possible, do not let any animal escape that has possibly exposed someone to rabies.

Source: New York State Department of Health

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