Article Abstract:
Pasteurization of milk should prevent the transmission of the rabies virus if dairy cows become infected. In two separate incidents, a dairy cow on two different farms in Worcester County, Massachusetts, died of rabies. Milk had been collected from both cows and some unpasteurized portions were drunk by humans. Eighty people who drank unpasteurized milk from these farms were given rabies prophylaxis, which is a treatment to prevent the development of rabies. No one developed rabies as a result of this exposure. The rabies vaccine can be inactivated by heat, so pasteurization is the best prevention.
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Article Abstract:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviews the tests for rabies and how public health officials should handle inconsistent test results. This was prompted by the case of a black bear cub in an Iowa petting zoo that died with symptoms similar to rabies. An initial rabies test on the body was positive and a comprehensive public health investigation identified 350 people who may have been exposed to the bear. Samples of the bear's brain and spinal cord were sent to the CDC but repeated tests were negative for rabies.
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Article Abstract:
The risks of handling and interacting with unfamiliar animals are discussed with a case of a rabid kitten being infected with a raccoon rabies-virus variant, is presented.
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