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Harold N. Adel, MD, MPH Commissioner Department of Health |
Andrew
J. Spano |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 22, 1998 Rabies Clinic
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FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Mary Landrigan (914) 637-4715 |
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| The Westchester County Department
of Health will hold a low-cost rabies clinic to assist residents in having their cats and
dogs immunized. The next clinic session is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 1998 at a
site in Yorktown, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. A donation of $10.00 per pet is requested and
an appointment is required. To make an appointment, call (914) 637-4924 between 9:00 am
and 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday. "By law, all cats and dogs must be immunized for rabies," stated Dr. Harold N. Adel, Commissioner of Health for Westchester County. "This law helps protect you, your family, and your pets against rabies," he continued. If your dog or cat is not immunized and it bites or scratches another animal or person, or it is exposed to a known or suspect rabid animal, you could be fined up to $1,000 and the animal may be put to sleep or quarantined in a veterinary facility for 6 months. Rabies is a fatal disease which is spread through the bite or saliva of infected animals. The rabies virus can infect virtually any mammal, placing pets, livestock, wildlife and people at risk. The disease is carried and transmitted mainly by wild animals. Those most commonly affected are raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes. However, domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, are also a problem because they can easily contract rabies from wild or stray animals. If you are bitten by a rabid animal or come in contact with its saliva, you may need to receive immediate post-exposure rabies treatment. This consists of six shots given in the arm or buttocks over the period of a month. It is 100% effective if administered early enough after the exposure to rabies and before symptoms develop. Once symptoms occur in humans or animals, death is inevitable.All animal bites or contacts with animals suspected of having rabies must be reported to the Westchester County Department of Health at (914) 813-5000, 24 hours a day. For more information about rabies and its prevention, call the RABIES HOTLINE at (914) 637-4718.
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