Health Department Working To Prevent Rabies In Pets, People ...

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. -- On Friday, the Tennessee Department of Health will be dropping vaccine pellets from the sky and on the ground to prevent wild animals from spreading rabies. So far this year, about 50 cases of rabies have been reported in Tennessee. About half-a-dozen of them were in Sullivan County.?It?s not an option to get your pets vaccinated,? said Steven Sheckells, a pet owner who got his dogs vaccinated this week. ?It?s a necessity. It?s a no brainer." This week is Rabies Awareness Week around the globe as part of World Rabies Day on Wednesday.Health officials said it?s a reminder that every pet needs to be vaccinated not only to protect them from rabies, but also to protect their owners. ?The virus is actually in saliva. When the bite takes place, it transfers the saliva into your body,? said Jerry Taylor, an environmental health expert with the Tennessee Department of Health.Taylor said the department investigates about 200 animal bites every year in Sullivan County alone. Taylor said about 90% of those domestic animals aren?t vaccinated against rabies. ?The vaccine is our barrier between the wildlife population, our pets and us. If we get them vaccinated annually, we have some protection,? he said. Even though the disease is 100% preventable, about 55,000 people die world-wide every year from rabies. About 30,000 people are exposed to rabies in the United States every year.However, the treatment for exposure has changed for humans. ?The old school thought is you?ve got to have hundreds of shots around the belly button,? said Doctor Ken Turner at the Bristol Regional Medical. ?Vaccinations have advanced, now it?s only four injections.? Those injections are administered into the muscle of the arm or hip. They are given on the day of exposure and again at three days, seven days, 14 days and 28 days later.Center said he sees several animal bites every week. ?Most animal bites we see are domestic animal bites,? Turner said. ?With any wild animal or stray animal, it?s a bigger concern.? Sheckells said you can never be too safe with your pets. ?Even if you have a fenced in yard, animals can get out. There is that one in a million chance they get out and could get exposed to rabies,? he said.Skunks are the biggest carrier of rabies in our area, according to Taylor. Raccoons are the second biggest carrier. That?s why Department of Health will use planes and people on the ground on Friday to put rabies vaccines pellets out for wild animals to eat in Carter, Greene, Hamblin, Hawkins, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties. ?We're actually tossing baits into their yards, under the shrubs to help vaccinate the raccoons in the neighborhood,? he said.According to the Virginia Department of Health, one raccoon and one skunk have tested positive in Bristol, Virginia. One skunk had rabies in Washington County. One cat and one skunk tested positive in Smyth County.As part of World Rabies Day, many local clinics will offer vaccines for about $10 on Wednesday, which are usually about $30 each. On Wednesday, September 28, those clinics include:Animal Medical Clinic on West State Street in Bristol, Tenn. Ferguson Veterinary Hospital on Anderson Street in Bristol, Tenn. Jones Animal Hospital on Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tenn. Volunteer Animal Clinic on Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tenn. Robinson Veterinary Hospital on Highway 126 in Blountville, Tenn. Central High School on Shipley Ferry Road in Blountville, Tenn. Woodfield Animal Clinic on Island Road in Blountville, Tenn. Tri-County Veterinary on Highway 11E in Bluff City, Tenn. Appalachian Animal Hospital on Highway 11E in Piney Flatts, Tenn. Sullivan Middle School on Wilcox Drive in Kingsport, Tenn. Andres-Straley Veterinary Hospital on Memorial Blvd. in Kingsport, Tenn. Colonial Heights Animal Hospital on Colonial Heights Road in Kingsport, Tenn. Indian Ridge Animal Hospital on Indian Trail Drive in Kingsport, Tenn.

Copyright 2011 WCYB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.wcyb.com/news/29308091/detail.html

dr oz kym johnson hakeem nicks hakeem nicks alpha lipoic acid 105.1 alex trebek