For the first time since 2001, a positive case of rabies has been confirmed in the tri-county area of Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties.
A bat was seen biting a cat in the Uintah County area and was submitted in June to the Utah Department of Health state lab, where the bat tested positive for rabies. The cat is currently under a mandatory six-month quarantine for observation of any symptoms of rabies.
The feline's owners decided not to put down the animal even though it had not been vaccinated against rabies.
"In this case, the cat is a family pet and the family chose to quarantine the cat under the supervision of a vet," said Joseph Shaffer, director of the TriCounty Health Department. "Animals suspected of rabies will be put under quarantine and if they develop symptoms, then they will be put down. It's a black-and-white situation."
Although no human exposure was reported, the cat's two owners, one animal shelter employee and the family's other cats have received post-exposure vaccinations.
Utah Department of Health epidemiologist Christie Barton said that although Utah hasn't had a case of human rabies since 1910, the department makes sure people involved with a rabies case seek medical attention and receive vaccination shots.
"It's important for people to know what an exposure is," she said. "If people have been bit by a bat, either by a bite or a scratch where body fluids enter their body, then they need to get their shots. There are usually only three or four human cases of rabies in the United States every year because the shots are effective."
Including the recent case, five confirmed cases of rabies have been reported throughout the state so far this year, said Jana Kettering, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Health.
"Last year at this time we had two cases. However, five is not abnormal," Kettering said. "We typically have 10 to 15 cases in any year's time."
Kettering said for 2003, one case of rabies has been reported in Davis County that involved bat exposure to a dog and one case in Washington County had possible human exposure. Two cases in Salt Lake County involved bats but had no exposure to humans or animals.
Health department officials urge residents to have their dogs and cats vaccinated against rabies and avoid exposure to wild animals, particularly bats, as they may be carriers of rabies.
"In Utah, bats are the main carriers of rabies," Barton said. "On the East Coast, you see more cases in raccoons. We haven't had any animals in Utah except for bats test positive for rabies since 1995."
Toni Fenn, public information officer for the TriCounty Health Department, said the first signs of rabies may be malaise, fever or headache that may last for days. Also there may be discomfort at the site of exposure. Anxiety, confusion and agitation progress to delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations and insomnia.
"Animals should be evaluated by a veterinarian at the first sign of illness," she said. "We should always make sure our animals are up to date on their vaccinations to protect them."
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