RISK ASSESSMENTS AND PRECAUTIONS OF DISEASES

SHARED BY PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

James Wright, DVM, MPVMZoonosis Control Division

Texas Department of State Health ServicesTyler, Texas

Buddy Faries, DVM, MSTexas Cooperative Extension

Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station, Texas

How to prove an animal does NOT have rabies…..

Quarantine (dog, cat, or ferret)

Transmission of the rabies virus is via the saliva

• Important fact in dogs, cats, and ferrets—

Animal will not have virus in its salivary glands for more than 5-6 days before showing some other sign of being ill.

Therefore……quarantine for 10 days

How to prove an animal does NOT have rabies…..

Quarantine (dog, cat, or ferret)

Lab testing

Bite victim should……

• Find the animal

Animal control can help

Do NOT shoot in the head

Incubation Period

• Variable– 2 weeks to several months

• Quarantine period (dog or cat)

– 10 days

Treatment

– Wash wound immediately– Consider post-exposure prophylaxis

Not a foregone conclusion

Rarely an emergency

Post-exposure Prophylaxis Decision

• Species of biting animal

SkunkHigh Risk

CoyoteHigh Risk

FoxHigh Risk

RaccoonHigh Risk

BATHigh Risk

Since 1980 in the US, over 90% of the domestically acquired human rabies

cases were from bats.

Low Risk Animals

• opossums

• armadillos

• rabbits

• rats, mice, squirrels, beavers

Post-exposure Prophylaxis Decision

• Species of biting animal

• Prevalence of rabies in the area

• Vaccination status of animal

• Provoked vs not provoked

Few Cases of Human Rabies in US

• Vaccination of pets

• Public health education

• Bite follow-up

Local Rabies Control Authority

(LRCA)

Health and Safety Code 826.017 -- Commissioners Court of each county and local governing body of each municipality shall designate.…..local rabies control authority.

Can be health officer, animal control officer, peace officer, or any other entity.

CREATE RABIES IMMUNED BARRIERSBETWEEN PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE

• MAINTAIN IMMUNITY IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS– CONFINED HORSES, SHOW LIVESTOCK– DOGS, CATS

• ADOPT VACCINATION PROGRAMS RECOMMENDED BY VETERINARIANS

DISCOURAGE POTENTIAL RABIES RESERVOIRS

FROM INHABITING PREMISES AROUND HOME

SKUNKS, BATS, RACCOONS, FOXES, COYOTES

• ELIMINATE BRUSHY, GRASSY AREAS FOR WILDLIFE NESTING

• PREVENT PET AND LIVESTOCK FOODS FOR WILDLIFE FEEDING

• ELIMINATE WILD PERSIMMON TREES AND BERRY VINES THAT ATTRACT WILDLIFE

AVOID WILDLIFE PETS

SKUNKS, RACCOONS

Texas rabies map

Ticks and Disease

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Erhlichia

Lyme Disease

STARI

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

• Transmit– Infected tick bite

– Contamination of broken skin or mucous membranes with infected tick feces.

• Symptoms are severe

• Treat -- antibiotics

Erhlichia• Symptoms

– Fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, nausea

– Mild to fatal

• Treat -- antibiotics

•Flu-like symptoms (fever, malaise, fatigue, muscle aches)

•Erythema Migrans (60%)

•Chronic

•Neurological abnormalities

•Cardiac abnormalities

•Arthritis (swelling & pain)

•Treat – antibiotics

Lyme Disease

Preventing Tick-borne Disease

• Clothes to exclude or see the ticks

Preventing Tick-borne Disease

                     

Preventing Tick-borne Disease

• Clothes to exclude or see the ticks

• Repellants– DEET is the gold standard

Preventing Tick-borne Disease

• Clothes to exclude or see the ticks

• Repellants

• Tick Checks– Ticks must be attached several hours before

transmit the organism

Preventing Tick-borne Disease

• Clothes to exclude or see the ticks

• Repellants

• Tick Checks– Ticks must be attached several hours before

transmit the organism

• Proper tick removal

Not Recommended

Tick Removal

Preventing Tick-borne Disease• Clothes to exclude or see the ticks

• Repellants

• Tick checks

• Proper tick removal

• Don’t crush ticks

Preventing Tick-borne Disease

• Clothes to exclude or see the ticks

• Repellants

• Tick checks

• Proper tick removal

• Don’t crush ticks

• Keep pets and yard free of ticks

• APPLY CHEMICALS ON ANIMALS– SPRAYS, DIPS, COLLARS, SPOT-ONS,

BACKRUBBERS

BURN NON-FLAMMABLE HOUSING AREAS

• SURVEY OUTDOOR AREAS– DRAG WHITE FLANNEL SHEET

• APPLY ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS ON PREMISES– SPRAYS, BAITS

• DISCOURAGE ENVIRONMENTAL HOSTS ON PREMISES– DEER, RABBITS, RODENTS, FERAL

SWINE

• CONTROL BRUSH AND WEEDS– CHEMICAL APPLICATION– MECHANICAL REMOVAL– BURN PASTURE

BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE)

MAD COW DISEASE

SPECIFIED RISK MATERIALS (SRMs)

• BRAIN, SPINAL CORD, SKULL, VERTEBRAE, ILEUM OF CATTLE

TRANSMISSION

• CATTLE EAT CONTAMINATED MEAT, BONE, BLOOD MEALS

• PEOPLEEAT CONTAMINATED GROUND MEAT

SAFEGUARDS – FIREWALLS

• USDA IMPORT BANS– RUMINANTS AND RUMINANT PRODUCTS– COUNTRIES KNOWN TO HAVE BSE

• USDA CATTLE FEED BANS– RUMINANT MEAT, BONE AND BLOOD

MEALS– POULTRY LITTER

• USDA CATTLE SLAUGHTER BANS– DOWNERS– BRAIN, SPINAL CORD– SMALL INTESTINE– SKULL, VERTEBRAE >30 MOS AGE

James – Enforcement of the safeguards by USDA, as you have discussed; the slaughter surveillance in testing of cattle brains by USDA; and no evidence of BSE in the US, reduce consumers’ concern of exposure to BSE by consumption of beef in the US.