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Genesee
County Health Department - Public Health Information
The
Genesee County Health Department hosted a participant
of the Summer Youth Employment Program, through
the Genesee County Job Development Bureau, for
the first time this summer. The experience proved
to be beneficial to the Department as well as
the individual. Following is her article.
My
name is Desiree Thatcher, and I have been working
at the Health Department in County Building
II for 5 weeks because I got the job from Summer
Job Development. I have learned a lot about
the Health Department and its divisions. Areas
the Health Department deals with are Home Care,
Long Term Home Health Care, family health, infant
health assessment, disease control, screening
and diagnostic clinics, immunizations, children
with special needs, health education. Public
Health Emergency Preparedness and many more.
Another
division is the Environmental Health Division
which is involved in inspections and permit
issuance, smoking regulations, engineering plan
review, animal bite investigations and many
more areas. My main interest is rabies and its
prevention.
Rabies
is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks
the nervous system. The virus is present in
saliva and in the nervous tissue of a rabid
animal. Rabies is mostly seen among wild mammal
such as raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes. If
your cats, dogs, ferrets and livestock are not
vaccinated for this disease, they can get rabies
too. Deer and large rodents, like woodchucks,
have been found rabid in areas affected by rabies
as well.
The
first sign of rabies in an animal is a change
in its behavior. It may become unusually aggressive
or unusually tame. The animal may lose fear
of people and natural enemies. It may become
excited, irritable and snap at anything in its
path. The animal may appear affectionate and
friendly. Staggering, convulsions, spitting,
choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis
sometimes are noted.
People get exposed to the rabies virus when
an infected animal bites them, but exposure
may also occur if an infected animal scratches
the victim or if saliva enters a scratch, open
cut, or mucous membrane (nose, mouth, eyes).
If there is a possibility you have been exposed
to rabies, wash the wound thoroughly with soap
and water and seek medical attention immediately.
Try to capture the animal without damaging its
head or risking further exposure. Treatment
for rabies in humans consists of a series of
vaccinations administered over a 28-day period.
Any
physical contact with a bat is exposure to rabies
(including a bite, scratch, saliva contact to
your eyes, nose, mouth or an open wound. Following
is a method to capture a bat:
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Turn on room lights and close the windows
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Close the room and closet doors
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Wait for the bat to land
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Wearing gloves, place a coffee can, pail or
similar container to trap the bat
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Slide a piece of cardboard tightly to the
container
After
the bat is captured, if there was any chance
at all that contact with a person or pet occurred,
or you are not sure if contact occurred, DO
NOT release the bat. Contact the Genesee County
Health Department to arrange for the bat to
be tested for rabies.
Pets
must be vaccinated for Rabies!! This includes
indoor pets as well as outdoor pets. The reason
for this is that bats can fit through a crack
the size of a pencil, or a bat could enter your
home through an open window, exposing your indoor
pet. Cats and dogs three months of age or older
must be vaccinated.
I
liked learning about the rabies virus the most,
but there are many more areas in the Health
Department you could learn about. Please call
the Health Department for more information at
585-344-2580, extension 5000.
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