CLIFTON — As activity outdoors increases in the warm Arizona spring, the Arizona Game and Fish Department warns against rabies exposure.
The AZGFD issued a notice last week noting that this time of year sees a rise in animals submitted for rabies testing and that people outdoors or with their pets should be careful.
“In Arizona, the principal rabies hosts are bats, skunks and foxes,” said AZGFD wildlife veterinarian Anne Justice-Allen. “These animals carry their own distinct strains of the rabies virus. When rabies activity within these animal groups increases, rabies can impact other mammals, such as bobcats, coyotes, javelina, cats, dogs, horses or cows.”
Rabies is a preventable disease that can be received through the bite of an infected animal. The virus is almost always fatal following the onset of symptoms. The AZGFD recommends that pet and livestock owners regularly vaccinate their animals for rabies.
“In addition, dogs should be on leashes when outdoors, and a veterinarian consulted if any domestic animals are injured by wildlife. Unvaccinated animals exposed to wildlife with rabies must undergo a four-month quarantine, and vaccinated animals need to be quarantined for 45 days,” the department wrote.
Roughly 15 people are exposed to rabies in Arizona every year. Those exposed must receive a vaccine and treatment with the anti-rabies serum to prevent infection.
Find more information online at the Arizona Department of Health Services at www.azdhs.gov.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
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