The New Mexico Department of Health announced Thursday a dog in Grant County tested positive for rabies. It’s the eighth animal in the state with a confirmed case this year. Although rabies is uncommon, it’s still one of the deadliest known viruses.
The dog that tested positive was euthanized, and anyone who had contact with the animal was given a post-exposure series of vaccinations. All animals that had contact had received rabies vaccines earlier, and they were given booster shots and will be monitored for 45 days as a precaution.
The dog in question had only received an-over-the-counter rabies treatment. The State Public Health Veterinarian for the DOH Dr. Erin Phipps said it is legally required for all dogs and cats over 12 weeks old to have a rabies vaccination from an actual vet, because over-the-counter products could have lower quality control standards.
“Online pharmacies or feed stores that carry vaccines may or may not have procedures in place to assure that those vaccines are kept in appropriate temperature ranges,” she said, “to assure that they are effective when administered.”
Only 33 people in history have survived the rabies virus. Luckily it’s not common here in New Mexico, especially compared to states on the east coast, Phipps said.
Cases in New Mexico have stayed relatively steady, she said, at around 10 to 15 cases in animals annually, with most cases found in bats. Bats are responsible for most rabies cases in humans in the United States. Bats’ teeth are small enough, Phipps said, that a bite is often painless and difficult to notice, so if someone wakes up to a bat in their house, they should seek a post-exposure series of vaccines.
“And it's also important for people to recognize that any bat contact is considered a risk,” she said. “So even if somebody does not think they were bitten by a bat if they had contact with their bare skin, or, for example, if a bat flew into them through a very thin shirt, then we do consider that an exposure.”
She said any physical contact with a bat, or even contact through clothing, is considered exposure.
Most of New Mexico’s cases occur in wild animals, so she said to never approach or handle wildlife. She encouraged people to reach out to Animal Control and DOH for any bites, and to keep your pets up to date on their shots.
“They can't tell us if they've had an encounter with a bat or a wild animal,” Phipps said, “so it's very important that they are all vaccinated and kept up to date with those boosters to protect them and their humans.”
DOH has information on rabies and tracks cases on its website.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
