Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/84916
COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS JOIN IN GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO PREVENT THE CONTRACTION OF RABIES In observance of World Rabies Day on Sept. 28, the Sarasota County Health Department has launched a new rabies Web page and will be dis- tributing educational reminders to residents and visitors about how to reduce rabies risk while enjoying nature, the department has an- nounced. "We saw this as an opportunity to highlight the rabies prevention and control efforts in our community while teaming up with peo- ple around the world towards a common goal," Quintin Clark, who oversees the rabies prevention program at the Sarasota County Health Department, said in the news release. Founded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention (CDC) and the Alliance for Rabies Control, the World Rabies Day ini- tiative aims to bring together relevant part- ners to address rabies prevention and control, a county news release says. "This is a coordinated effort to let the world know that this disease can be readily prevent- ed through education, pet vaccination and in- creased human awareness as to proper wound management and administration of rabies vac- cination after an exposure has occurred," said Dr. Deborah Briggs, executive director for the Alliance for Rabies Control, in the news re- lease. "In the United States, the greatest achieve- ment in rabies control and prevention oc- curred half a century ago, with effective im- plementation of dog vaccination, licensing and stray dog control," the release says. "Health officials warn that we cannot let our guard down with rabies. Rabies is ever-present in wildlife," which means pets and possibly fam- ily members can be exposed to the virus, the release adds. In Florida, raccoons, bats and foxes and un- vaccinated cats are the animals most frequent- ly diagnosed with rabies, the release notes. Other animals that are at high risk for rabies include skunks, otters, coyotes, bobcats and stray or unvaccinated dogs and ferrets. Rabies is transmitted through exposure to the saliva and nervous tissue from a rabid animal through a bite, scratch or contact with mu- cous membranes such as the eyes, nose or mouth. The Sarasota County Health Depart- ment works with Sarasota County Animal Services in responding to incidents of animal bites, testing animals for rabies through the Department of Health state laboratory and quarantining animals as necessary. The Health Department also investigates ani- mal bites that are reported to Sarasota County Animal Services, the news release notes, and it provides rabies vaccinations to victims of animal bites, the only known effective treat- ment for rabies prevention in humans. According to Animal Services staff, 561 bites from dogs and170 cat bites were reported during the past 12 months in Sarasota County. However, health officials caution that the ac- tual number might be quite a bit higher, "since not everyone who is bitten reports the bite to Sarasota County Animal Services," the news release says. "Bites commonly occur when people feed or adopt raccoons as pets or handle bats, stray dogs and feral cats, attempt to break up fights between pets and other animals, rescue and