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Rabies Supplemental Information for Law Enforcement Officers

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1 Rabies Supplemental Information for Law Enforcement Officers

2 Topics How do you know if you (or someone else) has been exposed to rabies? Quarantines: Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets Only Other mammals that expose humans Assisting with animal capture Animal rabies testing in Iowa Vaccination requirements Case examples Frequently asked questions

3 How do you know if you or someone else has been exposed to rabies?
The rabies virus is transmitted through saliva or nervous system tissue. What is considered an exposure? Bite from a potentially infected animal Saliva or nervous tissue contact to open wounds Saliva or nervous tissue contact to mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) What is not considered exposure? Saliva or nervous tissue contact to INTACT SKIN Contact with blood, urine, or feces Touching or petting an animal The rabies virus is transmitted through saliva or brain/nervous system tissue. You can only get rabies by coming in contact with these specific bodily excretions and tissues. Situations that are considered exposure to rabies include a bite from a potentially infected animal or infectious material such as saliva or nervous tissue contacting an open wound or mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose, and mouth. Examples of contact with infectious material could include: A producer who has saliva contact to an open wound on their hand while trying to feed a sick animal. A child whose face is licked by an infected animal (if there is saliva contact to the child’s mouth, nose, or eyes) Situations that are not considered exposure to rabies include saliva or nervous system tissue contact to intact skin, contact with blood, urine, or feces, and touching or petting an animal.

4 Bat-specific exposure criteria
Exposure criteria for bats include all those listed on the previous slide and the following: Waking up to find a bat in the room you are sleeping in Finding a bat in a room with an unsupervised child Finding a bat in a room with incapacitated person Contact with a bat and unsure whether you were bitten (i.e. bat flies into your arm) Exposure criteria is not based upon finding a potential wound From 1995 – 2009 there were 43 human cases of rabies reported in the United States, and 29 of the 43 cases were bat associated. Of the 29 bat-associated human rabies cases, there was not a bite reported in 23 of the cases. So, because this information supports that there may be unrecognized bites occurring, additional, more conservative, criteria for bat exposures have been developed. Exposure criteria for bats includes all of the things we discussed on the previous slide and the following: Waking up to find a bat in the room you are sleeping in Finding a bat in a room with a small child that is unsupervised Finding a bat in a room with an incapacitated person Contact with a bat and unsure whether you were bitten (i.e. bat flies into your arm) We know that bat bites can be so small that they may not be detectable by the naked eye, so we do not base exposure criteria on finding a wound.

5 Quarantines / Confinement
When a dog, cat, or ferret exposes a human, it can be quarantined for 10 days (in lieu of euthanasia and testing) . Dogs, cats, and ferrets are the only animals that can be quarantined If the animal becomes sick with signs of rabies during the 10 day quarantine it should be euthanized and tested immediately If the animal is healthy at the end of the 10 day quarantine, it did not pass rabies to the person it exposed If a dog, cat, or ferret exposes a human it can be quarantined for 10 days. If the animal becomes sick with signs of rabies during the 10 day quarantine it should be tested for rabies immediately. Dogs, cats, and ferrets are the only species that can be quarantined, because we know the course of illness in these species but do not know the course of illness in other species. Research has shown that these species will only have rabies virus in their saliva for 5 to 7 days before they start showing signs of rabies. Therefore, if they are healthy at the end of the 10 days, they did not give the person exposed to their saliva rabies. If the decision is made to euthanize an animal that has exposed a human in lieu of quarantine (in other words, if the animal is euthanized before the end of the 10 day quarantine), that animal should be tested for rabies.

6 Confinement Related State Laws
Iowa Code: Chapter   Confinement If a local board of health receives information that an animal has bitten a person or that a dog or animal is suspected of having rabies, the board shall order the owner to confine such animal in the manner it directs.  If the owner fails to confine such animal in the manner directed, the animal shall be apprehended and impounded by such board, and after ten days the board may humanely destroy the animal.  If such animal is returned to its owner, the owner shall pay the cost of impoundment.  The authority to mandate a 10 day quarantine (also called confinement) falls to local boards of health. Here is the specific state law that provides that authority. Every jurisdiction handles enforcement of quarantines in dogs, cats, and ferrets a bit differently. In some jurisdiction the enforcement is handled by local environmental health officials and in others it is handled by animals control, but in most jurisdictions in Iowa, enforcement is handled by local law enforcement.

7 Confinement Related State Laws
351.36  Enforcement. Local health and law enforcement officials shall enforce the provisions of sections to relating to vaccination and impoundment of dogs.  Such public officials shall not be responsible for any accident or disease of a dog resulting from the enforcement of the provisions of said sections. There is state law that specifically provides authority for law enforcement and local health officials to enforce rabies quarantine/confinement.

8 In-Home vs. In-Clinic/Shelter Quarantine
Local decision based on your county’s / municipality’s procedures Some counties / municipalities base decision on the following factors: Vaccination status of the dog, cat, or ferret Whether the owners seem trustworthy Whether the owners have adequate facilities to quarantine / confine The decision of how the quarantine is conducted, is a local decision based upon the county’s or municipality’s procedures. Some jurisdictions require that all quarantines be conducted in an animal shelter or veterinary office. Other jurisdictions allow all quarantines to be conducted at home. But most jurisdictions have criteria that they use to make the decision of who will be allowed to quarantine in the home versus in a veterinary office or animal shelter. The most commonly reported criteria includes: the vaccination status of the dog, cat, or ferret; whether the owners seem trustworthy; and whether the owners have adequate facilities to quarantine / confine. So for example, if the dog is an unvaccinated farm dog and the owners have no ability to confine the animal, a local jurisdiction may require an in clinic quarantine.

9 What if you don’t have the dog, cat, or ferret?
If you may be able to find the animal and can positively identify it, it may be reasonable to wait up to 72 hours from the time of the exposure to find and capture it. If you don’t find it after 72 hours or you can not positively identify the animal, rabies shots are usually recommended for those exposed. If you do not have the dog, cat, or ferret but you think that you may be able to find and positively identify it, it may be reasonable to wait up to 72 hours from the time of the bite to find the animal. If the animal is not found after 72 hours or can not be positively identified, rabies post exposure treatment (rabies shots) are usually recommended for the people exposed.

10 Other mammals Can not be quarantined because we don’t know how the disease effects them. If there is a human exposure, in most cases the animal will need to be tested. If the animal is not available for testing (ie. the bat flies out the window), rabies shots may be recommended for the people exposed. Other mammals that expose humans can not be quarantined because we don’t know as much about how the disease effects them. They may be able to pass the disease for longer than 5-7 days before they start showing clinical signs. So in most of these cases we will need to test the animal. If it is not available for testing, usually rabies post exposure prophylaxis (rabies shots) is recommended.

11 Assisting with animal capture
Ask whether there was a human exposure before letting it go. As animals that expose humans will likely need to be tested or quarantined. Do not shoot the animal in the head if it needs to be tested for rabies If you are capturing a bat for rabies testing, try to do so gently. If there is excessive trauma the specimen may not be testable. Here are some tips for assisting with animal capture. Always confirm whether there was a human exposure before releasing the animal. 2) Do not shoot the animal in the head if it needs to be tested for rabies 3) If you are capturing a bat for rabies testing, try to do so gently. If there is excessive trauma the specimen may not be testable.

12 Animal Rabies Testing State Hygienic Laboratory, Iowa City Available for after-hours or emergency testing Only test animals that have exposed humans Testing is Free Iowa State University, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Ames Human and animal-to-animal exposures Fees for testing There are 2 laboratories in Iowa that perform animal rabies testing. The State Hygienic Lab in Iowa City performs free testing for cases with human exposure. Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Ames also performs rabies testing for a fee. This includes testing for both human and animal to animal exposures (such as the skunk found fighting with the dog).

13 State Law Requiring Rabies Vaccination
All dogs six months of age and older should be vaccinated. Dogs kept in kennels and not allowed to run at large are not subject to these vaccination requirements. Some counties and municipalities have more restrictive laws that require other species, like cats for example, to be vaccinated at well. It is recommended that all pets and valuable livestock be vaccinated against rabies. State laws in Iowa mandate that all dogs six months of age or older must be vaccinated against rabies. State law also requires that all dogs coming into the State of Iowa that are four months or older must have a current Rabies vaccination. Some individual jurisdictions in Iowa have additional rabies vaccination laws, such as requiring that cats be vaccinated. One of the most important things you can do to prevent rabies spread, and being exposed, is to vaccinate your pets (including horses) and valuable livestock (especially if you will have continued close contact with the animals, ie. 4-H calves).

14 Case Example #1 A small child is riding his bike down the street and is bitten in the leg by a stray dog. Questions: Do you have the dog? If not, could the child positively identify the dog if you were to capture it? Let’s walk through an example. In this example a small child is riding his bike down the street and is bitten in the leg by a stray dog. The first question is do you have the dog? If you do, the dog can be quarantined for 10 days. a) If the dog becomes sick with signs of rabies during the 10 days, it should be tested immediately. If the dog tests positive the child will need rabies post exposure treatment (rabies shots). b) If the dog is healthy at the end of the 10 day quarantine, the child does not need rabies post exposure prophylaxis. If you do NOT have the dog, you should find out if the child could positively identify the dog if you were to capture it? Did it have a specific collar on? Was there something unique about the dog that would allow it to be positively identified? a) If the dog could not be positively identified, post exposure prophylaxis will likely be recommended for the child. b) If the dog could be positively identified, it may be reasonable to wait up to 72 hours from the time of the bite to capture the animal. i. If the animal is found within 72 hours, the 10 day quarantine should be conducted (10 days from the time of the bite, not the date of capture). ii. If the animal is NOT found within 72 hours, rabies post exposure prophylaxis (rabies shots) will likely be recommended.

15 Case Example #2 A person calls you to help them capture a bat in their home Was anyone exposed to the bat? If exposure occurred, test the bat. Let’s walk through another example. In this example a person calls you to help them capture a bat in their home. The first question you should ask is was anyone exposed to the bat? Remember, exposure criteria is not based upon finding a potential wound, it is based upon whether any of the following have occurred: Bite from a potentially infected animal Saliva or nervous tissue contact to open wounds Saliva or nervous tissue contact to mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) Waking up to find a bat in the room you are sleeping in Finding a bat in a room with an unsupervised child Finding a bat in a room with incapacitated person Contact with a bat and unsure whether you were bitten (i.e. bat flies into your arm) If an exposure did occur the bat should be captured and submitted for testing. Try to capture the bat gently without exposing yourself. If there is excessive trauma the specimen may not be testable.

16 Frequently Asked Question
If a dog bites someone but is current on its rabies vaccine do we still need to quarantine it for 10 days? YES We frequently receive questions regarding whether a dog that is current on its rabies vaccine needs to be quarantined if it exposes a human. The answer is yes, we want to quarantine any dog, cat or ferret that exposes a human regardless of its vaccination status. No vaccine provides 100% coverage, therefore a vaccine failure could occur. Many counties / municipalities allow quarantines in fully vaccinated dogs, cats or ferrets to be conducted at home.

17 Frequently Asked Question
What if we don’t have the dog, cat, or ferret that has exposed a human, but think we will find it soon? Generally, if the animal is not available for quarantine (for example a dog jumps the fence, bites the neighbor, and runs away) but you think it will be found and it can be positively identified as the animal that exposed the human, you can wait up to 72 hours from the time of the bite. If you haven’t found the animal after 72 hours, usually rabies shots are recommended for the person exposed. We have discussed this previously, but it is a question we receive frequently so we will repeat it again. What if we don’t have the dog, cat, or ferret but think we will find it soon? Generally, if the animal is not available for quarantine (for example a dog jumps the fence, bites the neighbor, and runs away) but you think it will be found and it can be positively identified as the animal that exposed the human, you can wait up to 72 hours from the time of the bite. If you haven’t found the animal after 72 hours, usually rabies shots are recommended for the person exposed. If the bite is above the shoulders, starting rabies shots immediately may be recommended. Recommend that the person bitten calls their healthcare provider or the Iowa Department of Public Health to discuss.

18 Frequently Asked Question
If the authority to mandate a 10 day quarantine falls to local boards of health, can local law enforcement be involved in enforcement of the quarantine? Yes, according to Iowa Code Chapter 351. Local health and law enforcement officials shall enforce the provisions of sections to (this includes the confinement law) relating to vaccination and impoundment of dogs.  Such public officials shall not be responsible for any accident or disease of a dog resulting from the enforcement of the provisions of said sections. If the authority to mandate a 10 day quarantine falls to local boards of health, can local law enforcement be involved in enforcement of the quarantine? Yes, according to Iowa Code Chapter 351. Local health and law enforcement officials shall enforce the provisions of sections to (this includes the confinement law) relating to vaccination and impoundment of dogs.  Such public officials shall not be responsible for any accident or disease of a dog resulting from the enforcement of the provisions of said sections.

19 Contact Information Iowa Department of Public Health Can provide the national recommendations for assessing rabies exposures, giving rabies post exposure treatment, and testing animals. Available for 24/7 consultation Business hours – After hours – (this will connect with State Patrol Dispatch, tell them you have a rabies question for public health and the on-call epidemiologist will call you back). The Iowa Department of Public Health is available 24/7 to assist with rabies related questions. Here is their contact information.

20 Additional Resources Iowa Rabies Manual
List of Local Points of Contact for Rabies Quarantine Enforcement


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