Rabies on the rise in some Hill Country areas
Rabies cases are on the rise in several Hill Country counties, prompting concerned officials to warn residents to protect themselves and their pets.
Kerr, Comal and Kendall counties have reported a combined 18 cases of the deadly virus this year, according to local officials and state government data.
Kerr County last week confirmed its seventh and eighth rabies cases of the year, while Comal County has reported six cases and Kendall County four, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The state as a whole had 73 confirmed rabies cases as of April 12, but those numbers don’t include the two most recent Kerr County cases.
State health officials say the numbers aren’t out of the normal range and don’t suggest that a major outbreak of the deadly virus is likely.
“From past experience, we don’t generally see one statewide trend in rabies,” said Douglas Loveday, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services. “Different areas tend to move in different directions based on local conditions.”
However, the concentration of cases in the Hill Country is “enough of a blip in one location to be concerned,” said Rodney Rohde, a Texas State University professor who is chair of the school’s Medical Laboratory Science program and has studied the rabies virus for more than three decades.
‘Necessary precautions’
In the counties where cases are rising, residents need to be on alert, especially around wild animals, according to local officials.
“Rabies is in Kerr County right now,” said Reagan Givens, the county’s animal services director. “You never know when you or your family pets will encounter a rabid animal, so please take the necessary precautions.”
Rabies is a viral disease that affects mammals. It can be transferred to humans through the bite of a rabid animal, entering the nervous system via infected saliva in a wound, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus infects the central nervous system, causing disease in the brain. It can be fatal if not treated, according to the CDC.
Symptoms can appear weeks after exposure to the disease. Symptoms in humans include cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, insomnia and even hydrophobia, which is the fear of water. Symptoms in animals can be nonspecific at first but progress to aggression, excessive salivation and self-mutilation, according to the CDC.
Most of the Hill Country rabies cases have involved wild animals. In Kerr County, five cases were confirmed in skunks, and the two most recent cases were in a raccoon and a fox. The other case involved a family’s dog that bit a jogger. The dog was euthanized. Its remains weren’t able to be tested, which under state law is considered a positive rabies test.
The eight cases are double Kerr County’s total of four for all of last year.
The four Kendall County cases are concentrated in an area about 6 miles east of Boerne. One incident involved a fox biting a person. The fox tested positive for rabies, and the person who was bitten was treated for the virus, officials said.
‘Reservoirs’ for rabies
Skunks, bats, foxes, coyotes and raccoons are the most common “reservoirs” for rabies, Rohde said, meaning the virus can survive and replicate within those species. The two predominant variants of the virus in Texas are skunk rabies and bat rabies, Rohde said.
It’s difficult to determine why the number of rabies cases vary from month to month, Rohde said. For instance, there could have been an increase in human-wild mammal interactions, an increase in skunk prey populations or a decrease in their predators.
Vaccinating populations of skunks or other wild animals isn’t a viable solution, Rohde said, and oral bait treatments for rabies aren’t widespread in Texas.
“Our biggest protective measure is awareness, making sure our own pets are vaccinated so that there’s a barrier between wildlife and humans,” Rohde said. “It is critical that dog vaccinations are up to date, cat vaccinations are up to date and that everyone’s aware that they need to make sure their pets (and livestock) are vaccinated.”
Pets coming into contact with rabid animals should be euthanized, according to Texas law, but pet owners can also choose to follow an alternative protocol. Previously vaccinated pets should be revaccinated immediately and confined for 45 days. Unvaccinated pets should be placed into solitary confinement for 90 days and vaccinated.
In several cases in Kerr County, family pets may have been in contact with rabid animals. The county said pet owners were “notified of the protocol required.”
Avoid handling wildlife
Bats are the most common transmitters in rabies death cases in the United States, according to Rohde. The San Antonio and Austin metro areas have some of the largest bat colonies in the world.
In general, people should avoid any contact with wild animals, even the cute ones, Rohde said. Leave that to the experts.
“I can’t tell you how even sometimes grown adults put out extra food on (their) patio to see the red foxes come up,” he said. “That is not a smart idea. There are people that think raccoons are super cuddly and cute — and they are — but they really shouldn’t be handling raccoons in general, or any wildlife.”