More rabies cases reported

From Staff Reports

Nacogdoches County recently reported another rabid skunk - this time, just north of Trawick. It's ninth rabid skunk for the year, but prior to 2003, there had not been a rabid skunk reported in the county during the past 10 years.

"This year, the Nacogdoches County cases were first seen near the point where Angelina, Cherokee, and Nacogdoches counties meet. The cases have since moved northward," explained Dr. James Wright, veterinarian with Texas Department of Health, Tyler.

Rusk County, has not reported a rabid skunk since 1994; however, the cases in the current outbreak are very near the county line. Similarly, Cherokee County, the adjacent county to the west, has not reported a case of rabies in more than 10 years.

The most recent case in Nacogdoches County occurred on July 9.

Wright also reported a case of a rabid bat found in Smith County on July 15. The bat was found in a backyard swimming pool.

"It is not uncommon to find rabid bats in swimming pools," the veterinarian explained. "The bats drink by swooping down low over a pool and taking a sip of water as they skim the surface. If they are rabid, their navigational sonar may be disrupted so instead of skimming over the water, they crash into it. Then, they are unable to fly away."

Wright stressed that once a bat is removed from a pool, and even if it tests positive for rabies, it is safe to swim in the pool for several reasons:

• The virus does not survive well outside living bodies.

• The dilution of the bat's saliva (which contains the virus) in the large volume of water in the pool is tremendous.

• The chlorine in the pool will inactivate the virus very quickly.

Wright also pointed out that because the bats drop and skim water, people in or around swimming pool often report bats attacking them.

"The bats are not attacking," he said. "They are just dropping by for a drink of water."