Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding recognized World Rabies Day, held annually on Sept. 28. The global health observance aims to raise awareness of rabies and enhance prevention and control efforts.
“Cats and dogs are often extensions of our family. We love them for their loyalty, companionship and the comfort they bring,” said Redding. “It is vitally important that we care for them in the same way we would our own child – take them for regular check-ups and maintain up-to-date immunizations, such as rabies. The health of our pets is connected to our own health. Putting pets at risk for rabies is putting your family at risk for a fatal disease.”
Rabies is a virus of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) that can affect any mammal and is widespread throughout Pennsylvania. Rabies can be transmitted to humans by the bite of infected animals and is nearly 100 percent fatal without post-exposure treatment.
Since 2000, between 350 and 500 animals in Pennsylvania are annually confirmed in a laboratory to have rabies. The most common mammals to be affected in Pennsylvania are raccoons, bats, skunks and cats. The last diagnosed human case of rabies in Pennsylvania was in 1984.
All dogs and cats three months of age and older are required to be vaccinated for rabies, which is most frequently spread by the bite of a rabid animal. Click here for more information.
