Monday, April 27, 2015
Perth District Health Unit
May is Rabies Awareness Month! Protect Your Pets. Protect your Family.
May is Rabies Awareness Month in Ontario and the Perth District Health Unit is reminding pet owners to protect their pets and their family. Even though animal rabies cases have dropped significantly over the past 25 years, it is still a concern. Last year, 18 bats tested positive in Ontario.
“Rabies month is a chance for us to remind pet owners to vaccinate their pets against rabies,” says Dale Lyttle, Senior Public Health Inspector. Vaccinating your pet is the key to preventing the spread of the disease. “Just as importantly, we also want to remind parents how to protect their children from being bitten by a potentially rabid animal.”
What is rabies?
Rabies is a dangerous disease for both humans and animals and is almost always fatal. The virus can be carried by all warm blooded mammals and spreads through bites and scratches or saliva contact from an animal with rabies. Perth County is not considered “rabies free” and rabid animals are still reported from time to time. “A vaccine can be given after a bite to prevent rabies, but once the disease develops in a human it is almost always fatal,” says Lyttle.
Protect your Pets
Is your family pet up-to date-with their rabies vaccination? It is the law in Ontario that cats and dogs over 3 months of age are vaccinated for rabies.
Protect your Family
To help protect children from being bitten by animals like cats and dogs, teach them the "Three Times Rule” before they approach a pet:
1. Ask a parent if it's okay
2. Ask the owner of the animal if it's okay
3. Ask the pet by allowing it to smell your hand.
“It’s also important that children know when not to approach animals,” says Lyttle. “People should keep their distance from wild animals and pets when an animal is: hurt, eating, afraid or when it has babies close by, and when it is unfamiliar or unattended.”
If you or your child is bitten by an animal:
- Wash the bite or scratch with soap and water
- Do your best to get the contact information of the animal’s owner
- Call your family doctor or go to the nearest hospital for treatment
- Report the incident to the Perth District Health Unit: 519-271-7600 ext. 267 or toll-free at 1-877-271-7348 ext. 267.
For more information:
Media Contact:
Rebecca Hill
Communications Manager
519-271-7600 ext 279
rhill@pdhu.on.ca
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