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Animals Rabies
in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest
Bats are the only known reservoir for
rabies in Washington State and rabid bats are found
throughout the state. The percentage of bats in the wild
that are infected with rabies is very low (less than 1%),
however 5–10% of the sick and injured bats submitted for
testing in Washington are rabid. Rabies has also occurred
recently in animals other than bats.
Bats are also the primary reservoir for
rabies in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. However,
during 2000–2007, rabid non-bat animals were detected in
these states and province. Oregon identified six rabid
foxes with bat-variant rabies during 2000–2007. Idaho
detected a rabid bobcat in 2001 and a rabid skunk in 2004
both with bat-variant rabies. British Columbia found 4
skunks in a park in Vancouver in 2004 and a cat in 2007 all
infected with bat-variant rabies. This clearly demonstrates
that rabies in bats spills over to other wild animals, as
well as domestic animals.
Purpose of Reporting and
Surveillance
- To assess the risk of rabies exposure in persons bitten
or otherwise exposed to animal saliva or other potentially
infectious material (such as central nervous system tissue),
determine the need for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis
(PEP), and provide counseling to those who don’t require
rabies PEP.
- To facilitate the capture and confinement of potentially
rabid animals (involved in a human exposure) which have a
defined observation period (dogs, cats, and ferrets); or
facilitate histological examination of the brain of
potentially rabid animals (involved in a human exposure)
when those animals cannot be observed.
Legal Reporting Requirements
Animal Bites:
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Health care providers:
immediately notifiable to local health jurisdiction.
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Hospitals: immediately
notifiable to local health jurisdiction.
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Laboratories: no
requirements for reporting.
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Veterinarians:
immediately notifiable to local health jurisdiction.
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Local health
jurisdictions: no requirements for reporting,
however staff at the
Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Communicable
Disease Epidemiology Section (CDES) are available for
consultation on management of animal bites as needed.
Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis:
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Health care
providers: notifiable to local health jurisdiction
within 3 work days.
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Hospitals:
notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 3 work
days.
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Laboratories:
no requirements for reporting.
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Local health
jurisdictions: notifiable to CDES within 7 days of case
investigation completion or summary information required
within 21 days.
Last
update
June 2008 |
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