Rabies is transmitted to people by the saliva of an infected animal; you can’t get rabies from the blood of an animal. Animals with rabies may act differently from healthy animals. Wild animals may move slowly or may act as if they are tame. A pet that is usually friendly may snap at you or may try to bite.
Some signs of rabies in animals are: changes in an animal’s behavior, general sickness, problems swallowing, increased drooling or aggression.
Some precautions to take to protect yourselves from the ever-present threat of rabies exposure:
• Don’t feed, touch or adopt wild animals and be cautious around stray cats and dogs.
• Teach children to leave wildlife alone and be sure that your child knows to tell you if an animal bites or scratches them.
• Have your pet cats, dogs and ferrets vaccinated for rabies and keep their vaccinations current.
• Keep trash can lids secure. Open containers can attract wildlife.
• Report any bite incidents to your local health department and call your doctor for medical advice.
The Champaign Health District investigated 70 animal bite/human exposure cases in 2011, 80 in 2012 and 29 so far this year.
Most of those bites were from dogs, with 51 cases in 2011, 59 in 2012 and 23 so far this year.
For more information please visit the health district’s website www.champaignhd.com or go to www.cdc.gov/rabies.
Brad King is the Champaign County health commissioner.
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