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380AEW Article

Public Health warns of risks associated with petting, feeding wild animals

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. April Lapetoda
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Since the beginning of the year, two service members deployed here have been bitten by stray cats and received immunizations as a precautionary measure to avoid becoming infected with rabies.

Both service members were attempting to pet stray cats at the time they were bitten, said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Lyndsey Lemus, 380th Expeditionary Medical Group NCO in charge of Public Health.

While there have been no documented cases of rabies on base, the host nation does have documented cases in animals and humans, said Lemus.

"Transmission of rabies virus usually begins when infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, http://www.cdc.gov. "The most common mode of rabies virus transmission is through the bite and virus-containing saliva of an infected host."

Even though rabies is carried through saliva, exposure from an animal's scratch is still possible, as the animal may have licked its paws while grooming itself, said Lemus.

In addition to stray cats, dogs and wild foxes are also known to roam the base, she said. The best way to avoid being bitten by an animal is to avoid them.

Should a person be bitten by a stray animal, they should take immediate preventative measures against rabies or other diseases.

Proper treatment to prevent rabies eliminates the odds of getting the disease, said Lemus.

"Disease prevention includes administration of both passive antibody, through an injection of human immune globulin and a round of injections with rabies vaccine," according to the CDC.

"If you treat bites as you're supposed to, there's no worry of getting rabies," said Lemus.

To help reduce the risk of possible rabies exposure, people should avoid creating an atmosphere that welcomes strays.

The top thing people can do is to not feed the animals, said Lemus. Feeding strays increases the chance of exposure and also encourages the strays to stick around.

Not only does feeding stray animals put service member's health at risk, it is also prohibited by U.S. Air Forces Central Command General Order-1B, which also prohibits adopting any type of domestic or wild animal as a pet or mascot.

To help protect the base population from stray animals, the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's Entomology office helps catch them and release them to local animal shelters where they are observed for rabies, vaccinated, and placed up for adoption, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Jaclynn Popp, 380 ECES pest management NCO.