Mosquitoes and Bats: Protect Your Family and Your Pets

BINGHAMTON, NY - West Nile Virus and rabies are two issues that continue to be in the forefront of public health during the summer months. The Broome County Health Department urges county residents to take the precautions necessary to protect your family and pets against these infectious diseases.

West Nile Virus continues to require our attention, especially during August and September when most infections occur," says Ms. Diane O'Hora, Director of Health Education for the Broome County Health Department. "We know West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne infection that can cause a range of symptoms of varying severity in humans, is here in Broome County."

Most WNV infected humans have no symptoms, a small portion develop flu like symptoms such as headache, fever, body ache, rash and swollen lymph glands. Less than 1% of infected people develop severe illness that causes encephalitis. Individuals aged 50 and above are at highest risk for serious illness.

Because mosquitoes spread West Nile Virus, protecting yourself against mosquito bites is the best way to avoid the transmission of the disease. "Mosquitoes are generally thought of as merely a nuisance, but occasionally, a mosquito bite can transmit disease," said Diane O'Hora, Director of Health Education for the Broome County Health Department. "There are about 70 mosquito species in New York State, and a handful of them can transmit West Nile Virus," she added.

The type of mosquitoes known to transmit West Nile Virus prefer to live in and around artificial containers (pots, buckets, rain barrels, abandoned swimming pools and tire piles). Mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus do not live or breed in wetlands, swamps, ditches or ponds. Make sure your home is protected from mosquitoes by keeping window and door screens in good repair. Reduce the mosquito population around your home and property by emptying water-holding containers, emptying or filling in swimming pools that are no longer used, maintaining swimming pools that are in use by filtering and chemically treating the water, and keeping rain gutters free of leaves. Remove scrap tires from your property, as they are a prime-breeding source for mosquitoes. Tires can accumulate small pools of water where adult mosquitoes will lay their eggs. Over the course of one breeding season, thousands of mosquitoes can be generated from just one tire.

Insects, such as mosquitoes also provide a feeding source for bats. Bats are beneficial to the environment because they feed on night-flying insects that cost farmers millions of dollars due to crop destruction each year. "In general, most bats (96%) tested at the New York State Rabies Laboratory are negative for rabies," said Chytilo. However, because many of the human rabies cases in the United States since 1990 seem to have been from an unrecognized bat bite in the home, area residents are urged to take the necessary precautions to minimize risk to themselves and their pets, by reducing mosquito breeding habitats on their property during the summer months.

The best way to avoid exposure to rabies is to avoid any contact with bats. Keeping bats out of your home is another practical step to protect yourself against rabies. To keep bats from entering your home, do not leave unscreened windows or doors open to the outside, and make sure window screens are in good repair.

Pets are at even greater risk of having an encounter with a rabid bat because they have a tendency to go after moving objects. Protect your pets by making sure they have a current rabies vaccination. Even if your pet does not go outdoors, which is often the case with cats and domesticated ferrets, they can be at risk of coming into contact with a bat in your home.

All bat-human or bat-pet incidents should be reported to the Broome County Health Department Environmental Health Services Division at 607.778.2887 during regular business hours. After hours and on weekends call Broome County Dispatch at 607.778.1911.

If public health authorities determine that there was potential pet or human exposure and the bat is not captured every person that may have been exposed will have to receive rabies shots as soon as possible. Unvaccinated pets will have to be quarantined to a cage for six months or humanely put down. If the bat is captured and it tests negative, then family members that have been in contact with the bat will not have to undergo rabies vaccination. If there is no bat to test, anyone who may have been exposed to the bat will most likely have to undergo rabies vaccination. Because rabies is a fatal disease without treatment, public health authorities must assume exposure if there is no bat to test. To avoid putting family members through the treatment, do not let the bat out of the house until calling the Broome County Health Department.

If you see a bat in your home and you are uncertain if there has been pet or human exposure, it is important to call the Broome County Health Department before letting the bat out of the house. You may be asked to bring the captured bat to the Broome County Health Department for rabies testing. To capture a bat indoors: close the windows and all room and closet doors; turn on the lights; and wait for the bat to land. Wearing gloves, approach the bat slowly, cover the bat with a pail, coffee can or similar container, slide a piece of cardboard under it, and tape the cardboard to the container.

If you spot a live, grounded bat outside during the day you can prevent any contact with people and pets by covering it with a container. Once the bat is dead, wear gloves to put the container in the garbage. If you spot a dead bat outdoors, wear gloves to put the bat in a container with a lid on it and place the container in the garbage.

The best way to keep pets from getting rabies is to make sure they get and stay vaccinated against rabies. The Front Street Dog Shelter Alliance in conjunction with the Broome County Health Department is having a rabies vaccination clinic on Friday, September 10, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., Town Highway Garage on Ellis Payne Road in the Town of Maine. This is a good opportunity for Broome County residents to have their dogs, cats or domesticated ferrets vaccinated.

Vaccinations are available at no cost. A $5.00 donation is requested but not required. All animals must be at least three-months-old and under the control of the owner at the clinic. Animal owners must bring a Certificate of Immunization to the clinic for animals immunized previously.

For more information about West Nile Virus or rabies, visit the Broome County Health Department's website at www.gobroomecounty.com/hd/.

CONTACT:
Diane O'Hora, Director of Health Education
Broome County Health Department: 607.778.3921
email: jcchytilo@co.broome.ny.us

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