Rabies is a viral disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. It can infect any mammal, including domestic pets and livestock if not vaccinated. Common carriers are wild animals like raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes. Signs of rabies in animals include changes in behavior such as aggression, tameness, or paralysis. People are usually exposed through bites from infected animals, but saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes can also transmit rabies. Anyone exposed should immediately wash wounds, seek medical care, and report animal exposures to health authorities.
Rabies is a viral disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. It can infect any mammal, including domestic pets and livestock if not vaccinated. Common carriers are wild animals like raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes. Signs of rabies in animals include changes in behavior such as aggression, tameness, or paralysis. People are usually exposed through bites from infected animals, but saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes can also transmit rabies. Anyone exposed should immediately wash wounds, seek medical care, and report animal exposures to health authorities.
Rabies is a viral disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. It can infect any mammal, including domestic pets and livestock if not vaccinated. Common carriers are wild animals like raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes. Signs of rabies in animals include changes in behavior such as aggression, tameness, or paralysis. People are usually exposed through bites from infected animals, but saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes can also transmit rabies. Anyone exposed should immediately wash wounds, seek medical care, and report animal exposures to health authorities.
Rabies is a viral disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. It can infect any mammal, including domestic pets and livestock if not vaccinated. Common carriers are wild animals like raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes. Signs of rabies in animals include changes in behavior such as aggression, tameness, or paralysis. People are usually exposed through bites from infected animals, but saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes can also transmit rabies. Anyone exposed should immediately wash wounds, seek medical care, and report animal exposures to health authorities.
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STAY SAFE FROM RABIES
Rabies is a viral disease that almost always leads to death, unless treatment is provided soon after exposure (NYS Department of Health)
Know the Facts about Rabies
Rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with rabies. Pets and livestock can get rabies if they are not vaccinated. Among domestic animals, cats are most frequently diagnosed with rabies. Some animals almost never get rabies. These include rabbits and small rodents such as squirrels, chipmunks, rats, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters. The first sign of rabies is usually a change in an animal's behavior. It may become unusually aggressive or tame. The animal may lose its fear of people and natural enemies. A wild animal may appear affectionate and friendly. It may become excited or irritable and attack anything in its path. Staggering, convulsions, choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis are sometimes seen. Many animals will make very unusual sounds. Infected animals usually die within one week after showing signs of rabies. People usually get exposed to the rabies virus when an infected animal bites them, or if saliva from a rabid animal enters an open cut or through the eyes, nose or mouth. What should I do if I am exposed to rabies? Wash all wounds thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. Report all animal bites to your county health department, even if they seem minor. Try to keep track of the animal that exposed you and report this information to your county health department. Healthy dogs, cats, ferrets and livestock that have bitten or otherwise caused a potential human exposure to rabies will be confined under the direction of the county health department and observed for 10 days following the exposure. If the animal remains healthy during this period, the animal did not transmit rabies at the time of the bite. Learn more about Rabies by clicking this link: http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/rabies/fact_sheet.htm
