'Protect Yourself From Rabies Exposure': McHenry County Officials

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — The McHenry County Department of Health is reminding pet owners that the best way to protect their family from rabies – both humans and their four-legged friends – is to avoid being exposed.

The advice comes after a dog recently grouped with 34 pets imported to the United States through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago tested positive for a strain of rabies foreign to the United States shortly after it arrived in Pennsylvania. Two dogs that came from the group were identified in Lake County and are now under a 45-day quarantine. There was also a recent human exposure to a rabid bat found in a Johnsburg family’s home, according to MCDH officials.

“Nearly all pets that get rabies are not up to date on their rabies vaccination, and most get the disease after making contact with wildlife that’s infected,” said Maryellen Howell, MCDH Manager of Veterinary Public Health. “Keeping cats and dogs up to date with vaccinations will not only keep them from getting rabies but also provide a barrier of protection for you if your animal is bitten by a rabid animal.”

The first sign of rabies in a family pet is usually a change in the animal's behavior. Animals that are vaccinated and exposed to a rabid animal may be observed for 45 days to determine whether or not they’ve been infected. Unvaccinated animals are euthanized.

The MCDH is encouraging anyone who is looking for a new pet to ask sellers about an animal’s vaccination history and if it has been imported from overseas. If your new pet begins to act strangely – excessive drooling, suddenly aggressive or timid – immediately take your pet to a veterinarian.

People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus is transmitted through direct contact (such as broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal.

If a bat is found in the home, contain the bat in a room by closing the door or placing a blanket on it and immediately call the MCDH Animal Control at 815-459-6222. For reliable rabies testing to be done, it is important the animal be in good condition (i.e. head is intact) – either alive or recently deceased.

McHenry County residents who find a bat in their home and came into contact with it or were in the same room as the animal while sleeping should contact the MCDH Animal Control and their physician.

According to county health officials, hany types of bats have small teeth which may leave marks that disappear quickly. If you find a bat in your home and are unsure if it scratched or bit you, seek medical advice to be safe. If you have been in contact with a rabid animal and are unvaccinated against rabies, a four-series treatment called post-exposure prophylaxis should be administered as soon as possible after the exposure.