Facts about Rabies

What is Rabies?

Rabies is a contagious viral disease that attacks the central nervous system of warm blooded animals. It can be transmitted to both people and animals through a cut or a scratch from an infected animal.

If left untreated, once symptoms appear it is nearly always fatal. The chance of running into a rabid animal in Ontario is very low. But if you see or come into contact with an animal you think has rabies, call your local health unit or your family doctor immediately. In Canada, the animals that most often transmit rabies are bats, foxes, skunks and raccoons.

How do I know an animal is infected with rabies?

You can't tell if an animal has rabies just by looking at it. But animals with rabies often act strangely. Most rabid animals show these signs:

1. They are extremely excited
2. They may attack objects or other animals
3. They may froth at the mouth
4. They may bite and scratch at anything for no reason

What sould I do if I am bitten or scratched?

1. Wash the bite or scratch thoroughly with soap and water right away. Remove any clothing that might have been contaminated.
2. Call the family doctor or get to the nearest hospital emergency department fror treatment.
3. Report the bite or scratch to the local public health unit. Your doctor or the hospital emergency department can also do this.

Can rabies be treatred?

Yes! If you are bitten or scratched by an animal with rabies, you will get a series of five shots of anti-rabies vaccine. The vaccine works and it's safe.

Protecting Your Family And Your Pets Against Rabies

You can protect your family and your pets from any rabies strain by observing the following rules:

• Have your pets vaccinated against rabies every year according to instructions from your veterinarian.
• Don't let your pet run free in the neighborhood and keep them indoors at night.
• Do not feed wild animals. You may be putting yourself and your family in danger.
• Stay away from dogs and cats that you don't know or are acting strangely. Stay away from wild animals including raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats. Teach children not to handle wildlife or pet animals they do not know.
• Take measures to discourage wild animals from taking up residence in your home or on your property. For example, cover up potential entrances, such as uncapped chimneys, loose shingles, and openings in attics, roofs and eaves. Store all garbage in metal containers with secure lids.
• Do not attempt to trap wild animals that are causing damage to your property. Instead, contact a professional animal control officer to remove nuisance animals.
• Do not trap and transport wild animals to a new location. You could spread disease.
• Do not keep wildlife as pets. It is against the law.
• Report any animals behaving strangely to your local animal control office.
• Do not touch dead or sick animals except to bury or dispose of them. Do so carefully, wearing protective gloves and making sure pets cannot get at the carcasses.
• Do not try to nurse sick animals to health.
• If you think you, or any member of your family, has been in contact with a rabid animal, immediately contact your local Health Unit, doctor, or go to your local emergency health care center.
• Have all dead, sick or easily captured bats that have come in to contact with a human or pet, tested for rabies. Do not touch the bat. Contact your local Canadian Food Inspection Agency for testing.

For further information, contact the Ministry of Health Information Line, toll-free 1-888-668-4636. In Toronto, call (416) 327-0427.

Raccoon Rabies – The Facts

What is raccoon rabies?

• Raccoon rabies is a strain of rabies – an infectious and contagious disease of the central nervous system – spread mainly by raccoons. If left untreated, rabies may result in death. The rabies virus is concentrated in the saliva, mucus membranes and central nervous tissue of a rabid animal. Humans and other mammals can become infected through a cut or scratch from an animal with rabies, or if the rabies virus comes in contact with the moist tissues of the mouth, nose or eyes.

Is raccoon rabies different from other strains of rabies?

• It kills in the same way as other strains of rabies, but primarily raccoons spread it.

Why the heightened concerned about raccoon rabies and where it is?

• The strain of rabies (mid-Atlantic) carried and transmitted by raccoons has been moving northward toward Canada from the northeastern United States for many years. It was first noted in Florida in the 1940s and slowly traveled toward Ontario. The first case reported in Ontario was in an area northeast of Brockville in eastern Ontario in July 1999. To date (December 31, 2005), 132 cases have been reported in this same area. Wolfe Island near Kingston was held at six cases during December 1999, and has been rabies free for more than five years.
• Ontario has a large raccoon population, especially in urban areas. It’s estimated that in urban areas there are approximately 8 to 18 raccoons per square kilometre. In rural areas, raccoon density may average 4 to 12 per square kilometre. This density (approximately 1.1 million raccoons in southern Ontario) makes it likely that people, pets and livestock may come into contact with them, and why it is important for all residents of Ontario to understand raccoon rabies and how to protect themselves and their families against the disease.