[Vision2020] FW: MPD Press Release

[Stephanie Kalasz]

PRESS RELEASE

 

September 16, 2009

 

The Moscow Police Department is reminding animal owners to make sure
their dogs, cats, and horses are currently vaccinated against rabies
after a dead bat found in the city has tested positive for the disease.
We are also urging people to avoid contact with bats or other wild
animals, and to avoid handling any animal that appears sick or is
behaving in an aggressive or abnormal manner.

 

Never handle a bat with your bare hands.  When you or another family
member have been directly exposed to a bat even if you are not sure a
bite occurred, seek medical attention immediately.  If you can safely
contain the animal, place it in a box or jar without touching it and
call 882-COPS (882-2677) to have the bat tested for rabies.
Post-exposure treatment is extremely effective in preventing the disease
if it is administered to the person promptly after an exposure has
occurred.

 

While most bats do not carry rabies and are generally harmless, they are
the only animals in Idaho known to be a natural reservoir for the
disease and contact with them should be avoided.  Rabid bats are
reported every year across the state; in 2008, 10 bats tested positive
for rabies.    In addition, over the past ten years one horse, one
bobcat, and one skunk have also tested positive for rabies in Idaho.

 

Rabies is an infectious viral disease that is transmitted through the
saliva and brain/nervous tissue of an infected animal, and can cause a
fatal illness in any mammal, including humans. If you have any
questions, please contact the Moscow Police Department, your local
health department, or your physician.  You can also go to the following
websites for more information:

 

www.cdc.gov/rabies/

DANIEL L. WEAVER
Prepared by: 

            Chief of Police
A.C.O. K. Graham

 
A.C. David Duke

www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov <http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/>


 

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