7-13-2005 |
|
|
RABID CAT PROMPTS VACCINATION REMINDER Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass is again reminding West Virginians to make sure their dogs and cats are vaccinated against rabies following the exposure of two Greenbrier County residents to rabies from an infected housecat. "Any animal that is let outside the home is a potential source of infection to people," said Commissioner Douglass. "It is state law that dogs and cats be immunized against rabies on a regular basis, and it's also a very good idea to do so. Rabies is always fatal if left untreated, and the treatments are uncomfortable and expensive. Vaccinations are much less of a problem." Vaccinations are good for two years. Commissioner Douglass also noted the high incidence of rabies in the Greenbrier County area. "Rabies has been detected in a number of domestic animals in that area over the past couple of years," said Commissioner Douglass. "I'm sure these cases are the result of run-ins with raccoons, opossums and other wild animals that are so prevalent in that area and throughout our state." Although any mammal can contract rabies, skunks and raccoons are notorious for carrying the disease, which has been gradually moving westward. However, a group of state and federal agencies is working to fight the spread of the disease by air-dropping baits containing rabies vaccine. Now entering its fifth year in West Virginia, the Oral Rabies Vaccine (ORV) Bait Drop Program will begin flights August 9 from the Raleigh County Airport. Cooperating agencies include the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services and the Centers for Disease Control.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
|
|
|
|
©2001, 2002 West Virginia Department of Agriculture, All Rights Reserved |
|
|
Contact the Webmaster
|
|
|
|