Detroit (WWJ) Rabies has been identified in a puppy belonging to a Wayne County family, the state’s first case in a domestic animal in ten years.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is urging Michigan residents to have their pets and farm animals vaccinated against rabies after a six-month old dog in Detroit tested positive for the disease.
“Rabies virus is present in saliva and brain tissue of an infected animal,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive, said. “People can be exposed to rabies when they are bitten by a rabid animal. Other routes for exposure include getting infectious material in your eyes, nose, or mouth or on fresh cuts on your skin.”
In addition to getting pets vaccinated, Dr. Khaldun said residents should stay away from stray or wild animals to reduce risk of exposing themselves to a “potentially fatal disease.”
The state is also working closely with the Detroit Health Department.
“We are taking proactive steps to keep residents and their families safe,” Detroit Health Department’s Chief Public Officer, Denise Fair, said. “We will have teams going to door-to-door in the area to inform residents and educate them on the importance of getting their pet vaccinated. We will also be canvassing for any sick or injured animals.”
The family of the rabid dog told authorities he had recently been involved in an altercation in their yard with another animal. His family and others who have come into close contact with him have been referred to their doctors for post-exposure prophylaxis treatment (PEP). That treatment includes a single rapid immunoglobulin shot as soon as possible after exposure and then three more doses of the vaccine over the next 14 days to prevent the infection from taking hold.
“Combined with prompt wound cleansing, appropriately administered rabies PEP is uniformly effective in preventing rabies in exposed individuals,” a press release from MDHHS read.
However, if rabies does take hold in the body, it's usually fatal. The CDC reports, to date, only 20 humans are known to have survived rabies once symptoms appear. The viral disease affects the central nervous system and presents at first with unusual anxiety, confusion and agitation. As it progresses over the course of about 10 days, the infected person may show signs of delirium, fear of water, and hallucinations before death, according to the CDC.
Learn more about rabies here.
Michigan state law requires that dogs and ferrets be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. MDHHS said cats, even those kept solely indoors, should be vaccinated against it. Pet owners should talk to their veterinarians.
While rabies can take hold in any mammal, it is most commonly carried by bats, raccoons and skunks.
Six other cases of rabies have been identified in Michigan so far this year. They were in bats; one each in Oakland, Ottawa, Clinton, Kent, Ingham, and Midland counties.