Results: Recreationist bitten by a rabid bat
Published on 09/02/2017
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1.
1.
Source (Great Falls Tribune): Lewis and Clark County (Helena, Montana) health officials say a person who had been recreating at Canyon Ferry Lake east of Helena was bitten by a rabid bat this week. The person is undergoing treatment to prevent them from contracting the virus. Rabies infects the central nervous system ultimately causing brain disease and death. The health department says so far this year, seven rabid bats have been identified in Montana. Environmental health specialist Laurel Riek says anyone who has had direct contact with a bat needs to be evaluated for potential exposure to rabies. Direct contact includes being bitten or scratched by a bat, stepping on a bat, having a bat touch your bare skin or getting bat saliva in their eyes, nose or mouth. Are you familiar with this story?
Yes
6%
105 votes
No
94%
1584 votes
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2.
Source (questions #2 - #5 is by The Humane Society): Rabies (Lyssavirus) is an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system in mammals. It's transmitted through the saliva a few days before death when the animal "sheds" the virus. Signs of Rabies in Animals: In the "furious" form, wild animals may appear to be agitated, bite or snap at imaginary and real objects, and drool excessively. In the "dumb" form, wild animals may appear tame and seem to have no fear of humans. There are other signs, such as the animal appearing excessively drunk or wobbly, circling, seeming partially paralyzed, acting disorientated, or mutilating itself. However, most of these signs can also be indicative of other diseases like distemper or lead poisoning. There are few behavioral signs that are telltale of rabies alone. If a typically nocturnal animal, such as a raccoon or skunk, is active during the day and exhibiting abnormal behavior, you should seek advice from your local animal control, humane society, wildlife rehabilitator, or state wildlife agency. Have you ever encountered a rabid animal?
Yes
11%
193 votes
No
89%
1496 votes
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Species that Carry Rabies: Any warm-blooded mammal can carry or contract rabies, but the primary carriers in North America are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes. What animal facts are you familiar with?
Raccoons: suffer the most from this disease in the eastern U.S.
24%
402 votes
Skunks: are the dominant rabies victims in the north- and south-central states, although skunk rabies also occurs in the East.
16%
264 votes
Bats: suffering from rabies are not limited to any particular area but scattered widely.
24%
399 votes
Foxes: in western Alaska, parts of Arizona and Texas, and the eastern United States are victims more frequently than foxes in other areas.
10%
166 votes
Coyotes: with rabies have been found in southern Texas in the past but rarely in recent years.
9%
155 votes
Rodents: (squirrels, chipmunks, rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs), rabbits, and hares rarely get rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the United States. Squirrels may suffer from the fatal roundworm brain parasite, which causes signs that look exactly like rabies.
15%
260 votes
Opossums: are amazingly resistant to rabies. Hissing, drooling, and swaying are part of the opossum's bluff routine. It is intended to scare away potential predators, yet it looks just like rabies and is the reason people can be convinced they're seeing "rabid opossums" when they're not.
9%
150 votes
All of the above.
13%
215 votes
N/A or I am unfamiliar with these facts.
48%
811 votes
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People and Rabies: It is surprising to learn that very few people die from rabies nationwide each year. Over the past 10 years, rabies has killed only a total of 28 people in the U. S. This amounts to fewer than 3 fatalities a year nationwide. People who contracted rabies in the United States were mostly infected by a bat. Most didn't even know they were bitten. Some may have been sleeping when bitten. Others handled a bat bare-handed without realizing they'd been potentially exposed to rabies. But don't panic over every bat sighting. Less than one-half of one percent of all bats in North America carries rabies. Although raccoons suffer from rabies more than any other mammal in the United States (about 35% of all animal rabies cases), only one human death from the raccoon strain of rabies has been recorded in the United States. Have you ever been bitten by a rabid animal?
Yes
4%
76 votes
No
96%
1613 votes
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Precautions: Despite the long odds of contracting rabies, the remote possibility of infection exists and should not be taken lightly. What precautions are you familiar with?
Don't approach or handle wild animals.
45%
754 votes
Vaccinate your pets (cats and dogs both) and any free-roaming cats under your care.
43%
726 votes
If you see a wild animal who may be sick, contact your local animal control, veterinarian, or wildlife rehabilitator for help. Don't handle sick wildlife!
34%
579 votes
If anyone is bitten by any wild animal, get medical advice from a doctor or health department immediately.
37%
624 votes
If your pet is bitten by any wild animal, get medical advice from your veterinarian immediately.
34%
572 votes
Scrub any bite wound immediately and aggressively with soap and water, use antiseptic soap such as betadine or Nolvasan®, if available. Flush the wound thoroughly with water.
20%
346 votes
If anyone is bitten by a potentially rabid animal, scrub and flush the wound then go to your doctor or an emergency room.
24%
398 votes
If possible, the animal should be captured and tested for rabies. Unless you can do it without risking further bites, leave this task to animal control professionals.
28%
471 votes
If you find a bat in a room where someone was sleeping or where children might have had contact with them, the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you assume the bat has bitten the sleeper or children. Timely treatment after a bite or other exposure is 100% effective. The very few people who die from rabies are those who don't get timely treatment.
12%
199 votes
All of the above.
25%
415 votes
N/A or I am unfamiliar with these facts.
26%
439 votes
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