Watch out for rabies. The Low Country leads the nation in the number of reported cases of rabies every year. Many of the raccoons are rabid, as are at least 20% of all the bats, according to the center for disease control.
Rabies is a viral disease which attacks nerve and brain tissue. In South Carolina, wild animals account for the highest number of reported rabies cases. These are raccoons, foxes, skunks and bats. Rarely infected are rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits and hamsters.
How does it spread?
Rabies is transmitted by a rabid animal biting a healthy one. The virus passes from the saliva of the sick animal through the wound into the healthy animal. It also can be spread when the saliva of a rabid animal enters an opening in the skin, such as a cut or scratch.
Symptoms of Rabies in Animals
Rabid animals appear to act differently than normal, such as:
Wild animals which seem to be friendly or tame.
- Wild animals, which you normally only see at night, seen in the daytime.
- Pets which seem to have a hard time walking, eating or drinking.
- Signs of excitement or meanness in animals.
Don't think that rabid animals can be spotted easily because they drool or foam at the mouth. This happens only some of the time in the latter stages of the disease.
No comments:
Post a Comment