RABIES ALERT A WARNING, NOT A CAUSE FOR PANIC

A rabies alert issued nine days ago for Cape Girardeau County has brought on somewhat of a rabies panic.

Officials with the Cape Girardeau County Health Department said the county was placed on rabies alert by the Missouri Health Department because one animal was found with a confirmed case of rabies.

Since the alert was issued, 11 other animals have been sent in for testing. None were rabid.

Among the animals people thought might have the disease were skunks, raccoons, domestic cats and a calf.

A rabies alert is issued to remind pet owners to have their animals vaccinated. It doesn't mean an sudden outbreak of the disease had occurred.

"This is not to cause for panic but to bring to people's attention that rabies, just like any other communicable disease, is around," Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department, said when the alert was issued.

To curb the spread of the disease, all household pets, especially dogs and cats, should be vaccinated against rabies. Those animals with up-to-date vaccinations will be protected.

"The key is prevention," Craig said.

On March 6, Cape Girardeau County was placed on its first rabies alert in 11 years after a skunk with the disease was found near Millersville.

The skunk was discovered when a family dog dragged the animal into a yard in a rural area near Millersville. The dog had been vaccinated.

Craig said the county hadn't had a confirmed case of rabies in 11 years, but the disease likely has been present in the wild-animal population.

Rabies is transmitted in the saliva of a rabid animal through biting or scratching. Both animals and humans can be infected. Left untreated, rabies results in death by paralysis.

Treatment for human beings costs an average of $850 a person. Health department officials estimate that more than $1 million is spent annually on rabies treatment in Missouri.