Rabies Threat Grows In Miami-Dade

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL — A fifth person is being treated for possible exposure to rabies and health officials are attempting to identify a sixth person who may have been exposed to the deadly disease after a second cat tested positive for rabies in North Miami Beach. The unvaccinated stray cat had to be euthanized after a good Samaritan identified it as looking injured or ill-appearing.

Florida Department of Health officials in Miami-Dade County said Tuesday that the exposed person was receiving rabies post exposure prophylaxis.

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Health officials confirmed in late September that four other people were being treated for possible exposure to rabies after a pet cat tested positive in North Miami Beach.

A rabies alert was issued for a portion of North Miami Beach for 60 days at that time. A new alert was issued Tuesday for another 60-day period ending on Dec. 14.

Meanwhile, a separate Kendall rabies alert also remains in effect through Nov. 16.

With the new case in North Miami Beach, officials said that a total of six raccoons and two cats have tested positive for rabies this year in Miami-Dade County

Dr. Alvaro Mejia-Echeverry, a medical epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County told Patch previously that the human exposures resulted from people either being scratched, bitten or otherwise coming in contact with the animal's saliva.

Mejia-Echeverry said previously that there was is no evidence to suggest that the North Miami Beach rabies case was related to the other rabies cases in the Kendall area. That area has been under a rabies alert for months.

Mejia-Echeverry urged people in the affected North Miami Beach area to contact the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County if they believe they have been scratched by a cat.

He also expressed concern that people have a tendency to not seek medical attention if they've been scratched by a cat.

The Miami-Dade boundaries for the most recent alert in North Miami include:

• NE 186th Street to the north,
• Royal Glades Canal to the south,
• West Dixie Hwy to the east,
• NE 19th Avenue to the west

"A cat that is exposed to rabies usually has up to 21 days to show the symptoms, so the incubation period is up to 21 days. But most don't take up to 14," Mejia-Echeverry said in the earlier interview with Patch.

If a cat has been infected, it is likely to show signs of reduced appetite and being unwell.

"They behave abnormally, but very soon after that they start showing neurological symptoms that consist of not coordinating their gait very well," Mejia-Echeverry said. "They become aggressive also. They become aggressive toward their owners. They bite them. They scratch them. A cat that is infected with rabies becomes a real risk."

Some animals may experience foaming around the mouth. But "that's kind of a final sign when the cat is extremely compromised," the doctor said. "The message here is people need to keep these cats vaccinated. Not only dogs need to be vaccinated, cats too."

He said there is no reason to panic, but it's important that people in the affected areas become educated.

"People need to be worried, especially people who interact with wildlife and stray cats," the doctor asserted. "They need to be worried to take actions to prevent disease, to teach their children to not to interact with unknown animals — of course wildlife, but even if they are pets, but they don't know them — to not feed feral cats, to not feed wildlife, and definitely if they have an encounter with these animals, to seek medical attention, especially when there is a scratch or a bite or saliva got into their eyes or sometimes these animals spit."

The Kendall alert covers the following boundaries:

• SW 152nd Street to the north
• SW 187th Street to the south
• SW 117th Avenue to the east
• SW 137th Avenue to the west

Rabies is described by the World Health Organization as an infectious viral disease that is almost always fatal following the onset of clinical signs.

Raccoons are about the size of a small dog and are distinguished by their black mask and bushy ringed tail. Most raccoons weigh 8-15 pounds, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They are common throughout the state, including urban areas, and can be found anywhere there are trees. Raccoons also tend to stay near a source of water.

"Raccoons are among the most intelligent of Florida's wildlife. They feed on fruits, plant material, eggs, crustaceans, small animals and even garbage," according to FWC. They usually become active in the late afternoon and throughout the night, but may change this pattern according to food availability.

"In up to 99 percent of human cases, the rabies virus is transmitted by domestic dogs," according to WHO. "Rabies affects domestic and wild animals, and is spread to people through bites or scratches, usually via saliva." 

Rabies is present on all continents except Antarctica, but more than 95 percent of human deaths occur in Asia and Africa, according to WHO.

The Florida Department of Health reports that the virus can spread to unvaccinated pets, which then pose a high risk to the pet owner and their family.

"The main wildlife sources of rabies in Florida are raccoons and bats. Infected raccoon and bats can expose people, pets, livestock and other wildlife to rabies, typically through bites," the agency stated. "Outside cats are by far the most common domestic animal found to have rabies in the state of Florida largely because they are often not kept up-to-date on rabies vaccinations. Dogs, cats and ferrets are required by law to be vaccinated against rabies in the state of Florida."

Here are some tips from the Department of Health to avoid exposure:

• Keep rabies vaccinations up to date for all pets.
• Keep your pets under direct supervision, so they do not come in contact with wild animals and contact Miami-Dade Animal Services at 3-1-1 if you have concerns.
• Call 3-1-1 to report any stray dogs in your neighborhood or private property. Owners can hire a nuisance wildlife trapper for removal of wildlife.
• If your pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance for the animal immediately and contact Miami-Dade Animal Services at 3-1-1.
• Do not handle, feed or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
• Do not leave food sources out for wildfire such as pet food or unsecured garbage.
• Avoid contact with stray and feral animals.
• Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home.
• Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.
• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools and other similar areas where they might come in contact with people and pets.
• Persons who have been bitten or scratched by wild or domestic animals should seek medical attention and report the injury to the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County at 305-324-2400.

"The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies-specific immune globulin and rabies immunization," health officials cautioned. "Appropriate treatment started soon after the exposure will protect an exposed person from the disease."
For more information on rabies click here, call 305-324-2400 or call Miami-Dade County Animal Services at 3-1-1.

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