Colorado Woman Rescues Baby Raccoon, Exposes 21 People To Rabies6 July 2018, 7:28 am EDT By Athena Chan Tech Times
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/231802/20180706/colorado-woman-rescues-baby-raccoon-exposes-21-people-to-rabies.htm
A woman's rescue of a baby raccoon ended up as a large rabies exposure incident. Authorities suggest staying away from wildlife to avoid such exposures.
( Christian Lanctot | Pixabay )A woman from Weld County in Colorado inadvertently exposed 21 people to rabies after she rescued a baby raccoon she found in her property. The incident is considered the largest rabies exposure case in the county.
Baby Raccoon RescueOn July 2, Weld County officials announced of a
wildlife rescue attempt that ended up exposing a large number of people to rabies. Apparently, a woman found and rescued an abandoned baby raccoon in her property and decided to take it to her home.
Unfortunately, the baby raccoon eventually tested positive for rabies, but not before being exposed to 21 people in total. All the individuals who were exposed are receiving post-exposure treatments, which includes one dose of immune globulin and four doses of the anti-rabies vaccine to be given over a 14-day period.
Avoid Wildlife ExposureAccording to the Executive Director of the Weld County Health Department, Mark E. Wallace, MD, MPH, this year has seen a
high number of rabies exposure in animals, which is why the public is advised not to go near or touch wild animals. The same advice was given after a woman touched
a dead rabid bat with her bare hands just last June. She was also given the post-exposure treatments.
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