The warm weather brings more people and domesticated animals outdoors, increasing their interaction with one another and wildlife. "It's a great time of year and people should enjoy it, but they should be aware that rabies is in our area and therefore it is necessary to take precautions to avoid exposure," cautions Claudia Edwards, Public Health Director for the Broome County Health Department. "Every year approximately 80 people in Broome County need to get vaccinated for rabies exposure. This would not need to happen and could probably be avoided if the animal was caught or avoided in the first place," she further stated.

Rabies is a disease that affects the central nervous system. The rabies virus is carried in the saliva of infected animals and is usually transmitted to people and other animals when they are bitten or scratched by the rabid animal. If left untreated, rabies is fatal to humans and animals. Prompt vaccination following a bite can prevent rabies in humans if the animal is not available for testing. The Broome County Health Department urges residents to follow these steps to reduce the risk for rabies exposure and post exposure vaccination:

• Avoid contact with wild animals and any animals you do not know. If you do have contact with a wild animal, capture it by luring it into a cage with food. Take caution not to touch the animal.
• Discourage children from playing with stray pets and wild animals and teach children to tell an adult if they do have contact with one. If you or your child is bitten, make sure to get the pet owner's name, telephone number and address so it can be observed for signs of rabies.
• Keep bats from entering your home by making sure all windows and doors have screens on them and that they are in good repair. Avoid leaving unscreened windows or doors open to the outside, and eliminate bat access to the attic and other living spaces. Bats have been known to enter homes through openings as small as a pencil.
• Protect your pets by making sure they are vaccinated for rabies. Even if your pet does not go outdoors, which is often the case with cats and domesticated ferrets, they can be at risk of coming into contact with a bat in your home.

If you see a bat in your home and you are certain that there was no contact with a person or pet (for example, you saw the bat fly in the house and never lost sight of it), close the room and closet doors, open the windows and watch the bat until it leaves.

However, if a bat is present in your home and you cannot rule out the possibility of exposure, you should make every effort to capture the bat so that it can be tested for rabies. Confine the bat to one room by closing all windows and doors, turn on the lights, and wait for the bat to land. Wearing gloves approach the bat slowly, cover the bat with a coffee can or similar container and slide a piece of cardboard or lid under the can trapping the bat. Following this procedure will insure that the bat's brain remains intact, which is necessary for testing. Tape the cardboard or lid to the container. Contact the Broome County Health Department during business hours at 607.778.2887 to make arrangements to test the bat for rabies.

Anyone having direct contact with a potentially rabid animal should contact the Environmental Health Division of the Broome County Health Department during normal business hours at 607.778.2887 to make arrangements for testing for rabies. For emergency guidance on weekends and after normal work hours call Broome County Dispatch at 607.778.1911. A dispatcher will then contact Broome County Health Department staff for you.

Rabies vaccination is mandatory by Public Health Law for dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets once they are four months old. The Front Street Dog Shelter Alliance in conjunction with the Broome County Health Department encourages residents who have a dog, cat or domesticated ferret that needs a rabies vaccine to attend a clinic. For a complete schedule of rabies clinics call the Broome County Health Department information line at 607.778.3911, Option 1, or visit the Broome County Health Department website at www.goBroomeCounty.com/hd.