Rabies Control & Symptoms
RABIES CONTROL

Rabies is a public health issue because it is a viral disease that is fatal in mammals, including man and domestic pets (dogs, cats, livestock). It is transmitted by the bite or scratch of an infected animal through their saliva. Rabies is preventable in domestic animals through routine vaccination, but is not curable after the onset of symptoms.

Bites by animals that can carry rabies
When any warm-blooded animal breaks the skin of a human with its teeth or nails, the human may be exposed to rabies. This is not a statement of the animal’s behavior or of a person’s negligence or liability; it is a public health issue for the prevention of a fatal disease called rabies.

Quarantine:
Animal Care Services requires that the animal involved in a bite or a scratch to be quarantined for 10 days. If the animal remains healthy for the 10-day period, it cannot have been shedding the rabies virus in its saliva at the time of the scratch or bite.

Types of quarantines:

• Animal vs. human: When any warm-blooded animal breaks the skin of a human with its teeth or nails, the human may be exposed to rabies.
• Pet vs. wildlife: When a pet dog/cat has come in physical contact with a wild mammal. E.g. skunk, bat, raccoon, etc.

Gila County Rabies Control enforces the State laws that require all animals involved in a bite or scratch on a human to be quarantined for a period of 10 days after the date of bite. If the animal remains healthy for the 10 day period the State of Arizona, Veterinary Public Health Section, has advised it could not have been shedding the rabies virus in its saliva at the time of bite.

If bitten by an animal, immediately wash the wound with soap and water, then contact your physician. Prevention and education are the keys to keeping you and your family safe from disease.

Questions or Further Information:
If you have any questions regarding animal bites or rabies contact your local health department or Gila County Rabies Control at (928) 425-5882.

RABIES VIRUS
Rabies is a disease caused by a virus (Lyssavirus) found in the saliva of infected animals and is transmitted to other warm blooded animals, including humans by a bite, scratch or possible by contamination of an open cut. Deadly and costly, rabies ranks as one of the top zoonotic diseases in the United States and the world.

Symptoms
Rabies virus infects the central nervous system (CNS), causing encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms of rabies are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache, and general malaise. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.