From the office of the Medical Health Officer
A Maple Ridge Cat has Tested Positive for Rabies
An unvaccinated cat of a family living on acreage in Maple Ridge appeared unwell on May 30, with leg twitching and limping, and bit and scratched two people. A veterinarian saw the cat that day and again May 31. By then the cat was ataxic, had other neurological signs, and was aggressive. It was euthanized and sent for rabies testing at the Lethbridge lab. Fluorescent antibody was reported June 5 as positive, with confirmatory testing being done now in Ottawa. Culture and strain-typing is underway and should reveal if this is a bat strain of rabies.
Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (RPEP) is being given to those who had significant handling of the cat. The District Veterinarian is managing animal exposure issues, including quarantine of domestic animals that had contact with the rabid cat but were not vaccinated against rabies.
CALL PUBLIC HEALTH WHEN A PATIENT REPORTS
Bat: ANY exposure including a bat found in a room with sleeping or unconscious person or young child
Dog, cat: dog bite outside North America OR a bite by any dog or cat behaving abnormally
Fox, skunk, raccoon, other wild mammal: bite or scratch outside BC OR if unprovoked
Monkey (pet or wild): bite, scratch, or saliva contact
Rodent or bird (pet or wild): bite or scratch if unprovoked and abnormal behaviour observed
Public Health will advise appropriate action, such as RPEP, or testing the animal or confining it for observation.
ABOUT RABIES, CATS, AND BATS IN BC
Rabies causes acute viral encephalomyelitis that is almost always fatal. In humans, rabies starts with sensory changes at the site of the bite/scratch, then apprehension, headache, fever, and malaise, sometimes with excitability and aerophobia. Next come paresis or paralysis, spasms of the muscles of deglutition, delirium, convulsions, then death.
Cat rabies is very rare in BC. A Vancouver Island cat with a history of bat contact had rabies in 1969. Three Delta cats tested positive for rabies (skunk strain) in 1992, although the question of lab error has been raised. However, rabies is common in BC bats, especially those that interact with humans or pets. About 1% of BC bats overall have rabies, but about 10% of bats that interact with humans or pets and are tested turn out to be rabid. Unfortunately, when a bat is not available for testing, we must assume that it was rabid, with the result that every year in BC, hundreds of people require RPEP after contact with bats that could not be tested.
ADVICE FOR PATIENTS ON RABIES AND PETS
Have your veterinarian vaccinate your pets against rabies before they are exposed to rabies virus.
If your pet suddenly develops paralysis or unusual withdrawal or aggression, call your vet right away.
If the vet suspects your pet has rabies, your pet must be tested. See a vet BEFORE putting your pet down.
ADVICE FOR PATIENTS ON RABIES AND BATS
Bat-proof your home with tight-fitting window screens and attic vents, and keep doors closed or screened. If bats are already in, call a pest control company or visit Health Canada
for tips on bat control. Avoid bat habitat (e.g., caves, abandoned buildings).
Never touch bats whether they are healthy or sick, alive or dead.
Any bat that has touched or bitten a person or pet, or may have been in a room with a young child or sleeping person, should be captured and tested, preferably by a licensed pest control company.
If professional help is not available, adults (not children) should catch the bat. Close all doors and windows in the area, and put on a hat, leather gloves, a long-sleeved jacket and pants. Using a blanket, net, broom or towel, catch the bat without letting it touch you. Put it in a container, close the container, and put it into the freezer, which will make the bat go into hibernation. Phone the Health Unit to arrange for the bat to be tested.
If you are sure the bat had NO contact with a person or pet, let it out without touching it. Close any inside doors to contain the bat in one area, turn off the lights, and open windows or outside doors to let the bat to fly out.
Anyone who has shared sleeping quarters with a bat or been bitten, scratched, or touched by a bat, should catch the bat if possible and put it in the freezer, then phone the Health Unit. Anyone bitten or scratched by a bat should also wash the bite or scratch well with soap and water and see a doctor. A
BC Health File on rabies is available online.
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