Six people receiving rabies shots in Larimer County

One man bitten by rabid bat while the rest may have been exposed when a bat entered their home

By David Accomazzo, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 02:57 p.m., July 24, 2008
Updated 02:57 p.m., July 24, 2008

Six people in Larimer County are receiving preventive treatment for rabies after being exposed to rabid bats, officials say.

The patients are receiving a series of shots to fend off the disease.

At least one man was bitten by a rabid bat while the rest might have been exposed to the virus when a bat entered their home, said Larimer County Department of Health and Environment spokeswoman Jane Viste.

Rabies treatment is almost 100 percent effective, the Center for Disease Control reported.

Larimer County also has quarantined three pets and will monitor them for three months looking for signs of rabies. The pets had never received rabies vaccines.

Two weeks ago, the Colorado Department of Public Health the Environment announced that for the first time in 45 years, officials found a rabid raccoon in Cheyenne County.

Also reported in Cheyenne County was a cat infected with rabies, the first such report in 23 years.

The last reported case of rabies in Colorado was in 1931.

In 2004, the latest year numbers are available, 39 people in Colorado received rabies vaccines, just under half as many treatments as in 2003.

The CDC estimates 40,000 people receive rabies vaccinations annually. The annual tab for rabies prevention efforts — including treatment, prevention, and animal screening and vaccination — is about $300 million in the United States.

Two or three people die because of rabies each year in the U.S., the CDC reports. The Alliance for Rabies Control estimates 55,000 people die around the world each year.

Officials wanted to stress the importance of vaccinating household pets and the importance of staying away from wild animals.

If you see an animal acting strangely, call the Humane Society immediately, Viste said.

"Bats don't want to be touched, healthy or sick," Viste said. "If they are not acting normally, or are active during the daytime, they might have rabies."

• July 24, 2008

  3:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Oroboros writes:

  I remember as a child being told that if I ever got bitten by a suspected rabid animal and it couldn't be tested, I'd be given 23 shots in my stomach to save my life.

  An absolutely terrifying thought for any child. Thankfully, the procedure isn't nearly so horrible any more.

  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/kidsra...

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies#P...