MENDOCINO COUNTY — The Mendocino County Public Health Department has received notification of participants at a local event being bitten by bats in the south coast region of Mendocino County. Those participants who were bitten are now receiving vaccine for possible rabies exposure in the counties where they reside.
According to Cassandra Taaning, communications coordinator for Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency, Mendocino County has no notification that local residents have been exposed. Public Health is continuing to investigate and at this time there are no confirmed cases of rabies in animals, nor humans.
“Recent, unusually warm evenings have increased the number of insects and resulting bat activity,” Taaning said. “If you are in an area with high bat activity it is important to keep doors and windows closed if they do not have screens.”
A person who is exposed and has never been vaccinated against rabies should get four doses of rabies vaccine ? one dose right away, and additional doses on the third, seventh and 14th days. They should also get another shot called Rabies Immune Globulin at the same time as the first dose.
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. The virus is usually passed to humans via the bite of a rabid animal. Occasionally rabies can be transmitted if the saliva of an infected animal gets into a fresh scratch, break in the skin, or contact with eyes, mouth or nose.
Human rabies is rare in the United States, but it is a serious, potentially fatal disease that must be treated shortly after an exposure.
In California, most cases of rabies occur in skunks and bats, but also occur in a variety of wild animals, including foxes. Symptoms in animals vary with the species and stage of the disease, but abnormal behavior is the most obvious sign. Special signs to watch for include:
* Wild animals that seem unusually tame or unafraid.
* Nocturnal animals that are active during the daylight.
* Bats that are unable to fly or have been caught by a domestic cat or dog.
Preventive measures to follow to reduce exposure include not handling or feeding wild animals. Wild animals should never be adopted or brought into the home. Parents should teach their children to never handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly. Residents should contact their veterinarian to make sure pets are current with their rabies vaccine. Because cats are the most frequently reported rabid domestic animal in the United States, vaccination of all cats is strongly advised.
