EMPORIUM — A wild animal killed in Emporium Borough last week has tested positive for the rabies virus.
Borough Dog Law Officer George Sowers said the Pennsylvania Game Commission responded to a report of a fox killed by a family’s pet dog on Thursday.
A call was put in to the Game Commission during the day on Thursday reporting a fox acting strangely in the area of East Sixth Street Extension.
Later in the day on Thursday, a small dog was let outside and it was attacked by the fox. The family also owns a larger dog, which ran out of the house and attacked the fox, killing it. The Game Commission was called again and responded to collect the dead fox, which was then sent out for testing.
The fox’s remains tested positive for the rabies virus, which can easily be transmitted from one mammal to another through a bite, or when the saliva of a rabid animal enters the skin through small cuts or mucous membranes such as the eyes or mouth.
All mammals can contract rabies, but it is most commonly carried by raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats. The virus attacks the nervous system and is always fatal unless the victim has been immunized or receives proper treatment closely following the bite.
Rabies is a worldwide disease and is present in nearly all countries except those that are isolated by vast stretches of water or mountains. In the United States, the disease occurs in every state except Hawaii.
The dogs have been quarantined by the state veterinarian, and must remain so for 180 days, according to Sowers. Individuals living in the home and exposed to the animals were advised to go to hospital and have a series of rabies vaccinations to prevent them from contracting the disease.
Sowers said borough officials are urging the public not to feed wildlife or stray cats and dogs anymore if currently doing so. Those animals could contract the disease and it could easily be spread to humans coming into contact with them, and it would be easier to limit human contact with animals if they are not being lured into residential areas.
Children should not be allowed to approach stray or wild animals, and cat and dog owners are being urged to get their animals up-to-date on their immunizations, or to get a booster shot if the animals are already current on their shots.
In most mammals, the time between infection and the onset of symptoms is between two to 12 weeks, sometimes longer depending on the species and other factors. The incubation period for humans can be longer than one year.
Animals showing the following symptoms should be suspected of having rabies: loss of coordination, stumbling or appearing disoriented; increased aggressiveness or increased passivity (appearing tame); drooling, foaming or frothing at the mouth; watery discharge from the eyes and/or nose; and activity at unusual times (nocturnal animals active during the day). Typically, death occurs within 10 days of the onset of clinical signs.
At the turn of the twentieth century, nearly 100 people died yearly from the rabies virus, most typically spread by livestock. Today, only one or two people die annually from the virus, which is mostly transmitted through the bites of wild animals. Modern day treatments have proved nearly 100 percent effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
In 2013, rabies was reported in 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico in 5,865 animals and three humans. The total number of reported cases was down approximately 5 percent from reports in 2012 when there were more than 6,000 rabid animals reported.
Sowers said the Game Commission is handling any and all investigations into rabid or erratically-behaving wild animals within the borough and county, as local authorities are not permitted to take any action against wildlife species. All concerns should be directed to the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and/or the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
