Now that summer is here, animal encounters might be more common during camping and cabin adventures. It’s important to be aware that rabies can be transmitted from animals to humans. The viral infection is most often transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal to fresh broken skin or a mucous membrane in the eye, nose or mouth. Rabies attacks the nervous system, eventually affecting the brain. If there has been exposure to a confirmed case of rabies and left untreated, the disease is usually fatal.
Every year, animals test positive for rabies in the Interlake-Eastern health region. In Manitoba, skunks, bats and arctic foxes in the north are the most common animals to transmit and become infected with rabies. All mammals can transmit rabies, including domestic pets like cats, dogs and livestock. Bites from wild animals have a higher risk for exposure to rabies.
All animal bites and scratches should be reported to a health-care provider, even if it is an accident. When an animal bite or scratch occurs, Public Health conducts a no-blame follow-up meant to reduce rabies risk to humans. They don’t take pets away from their homes.
“While the rabies virus is dangerous, post-exposure rabies treatments are highly effective at preventing rabies disease in people,” said Tim Hilderman, public health physician with Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority. “Even if the animal exposure happened several days ago, it’s not too late to get assessed by a health-care provider and find out if you need treatment.”
If an animal bites or scratches you, immediately clean the wound with soap and water. If the animal is a pet, take note of the owner’s name and phone number if possible. Visit your health-care provider or a QuickCare or walk-in clinic to get your wound assessed. If it’s a serious injury, go to the emergency department. Health-care staff will fill out an animal exposure form and send it to Public Health. If you haven’t had a tetanus vaccine in the past five years, you might need to get one. Bat bites or scratches may not be visible, and you may not be aware that you have been bitten or scratched. This is why it is important to report if you find a bat in your tent, cabin or home.
If you’re not planning to get medical attention, call Health Links toll-free at 1-888-315-9257 to report the animal encounter. To report a domestic animal exposed to or injured by an animal suspected of having rabies where no human exposure has occurred, contact Manitoba Agriculture at 204-470-1108.
If you choose to euthanize a pet that was involved in a bite or scratch situation, you should contact your local Public Health nurse at the community health office in your area for advice before taking action.
Public Health will follow up on the encounter, whether it was with a pet, a stray or a wild animal. They will contact the person exposed to the animal, as well as the animal owner to ask about the vaccination status and health of the animal. Public Health may ask the owner to observe and humanely isolate cats or dogs for 10 days. The quarantine period ensures pets are healthy, even if their rabies vaccinations are up to date since the vaccines are not 100 per cent effective. When a healthy-looking dog, cat or ferret has rabies, they are only contagious to others for up to 10 days before they will become severely ill. However, some other animals have a longer quarantine period such as wildlife and livestock.
After 10 days of isolation, Public Health will contact the animal owner to ask about its health. If the animal is healthy, then there is no rabies risk from that encounter, and no further public health follow-up is required. If the animal has died, testing may be undertaken. If the test is positive for rabies or if the animal cannot be found, Public Health will discuss with the person exposed if post-exposure treatment is needed through a series of vaccinations. If it was an unknown animal, attempts will be made to find and capture the animal for quarantine. If the animal can’t be captured and tested, Public Health may recommend post-exposure treatment.
In an effort to avoid rabies, vaccinate your pets and don’t let them roam free outdoors, especially at night. If your pet is in contact with a wild animal, do not touch your pet with bare skin. Wear work gloves when comforting pets or checking injuries. You should also avoid wild animals — don’t feed them or leave your pets’ food bowls outside. It’s important to teach kids to never approach an unfamiliar animal. If you find a bat, alive or dead, don’t touch it. If the bat is in your house, open windows to let it escape. If you find a bat in your bedroom, call Health Links toll-free at 1-888-315-9257 for advice since you might have been bitten while sleeping.
For more information about rabies, visit the Manitoba Health website at Rabies | Health | Province of Manitoba
