>From: Heather Wojtowicz <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Flying Meeces and Rabies Vaccine
>
>>Remember this, the next time you might be tempted to say "But my pets
>>never leave the house, I don't need to vaccinate them..."
>
>Amen, Alexandra!! Thanks for sharing the story and for this reminder.
>Lest we forget that our pets don't necessarily have to roam the fields and
>forests for potential rabies exposure. It's possible for rabies to come
>to them, even right through their cage.
>-Heather W.
 
Hi Heather- guess what!
 
from the website www.batworld.org
 
I recommend everyone who is not an expert on bats visit here!  .."Less
than one-half of one percent of bats contract rabies.  However, a grounded
bat should never be handled because it may bite in self-defense.  Call a
wildlife rehabilitator or an animal organization for help."
 
There are only 3 varieties of vampire bats -- in LATIN AMERICA!  Bats
carrying rabies is PRETTY MUCH a falicy-- in our neck of the country!
However no one should ever attempt to pick up a grounded bat!
 
insect eating bats ( New England ) do not get rabies!  This is pretty much
a falicy .  the bats y would have to come in contact with a rabid animal
themselves-- chances are very very slim!
 
Alicia
 
[Moderator's note: Hey, I like bats and I'm not particularly afraid of
them, but I feel compelled to point out that according to the Centers for
Disease Control: "... Since 1980, a total of 21 (58%) of the 36 cases of
rabies diagnosed in the United States have been associated with bat
variants of the rabies virus..." and "Bats are increasingly implicated as
important wildlife reservoirs for varients of rabies virus transmitted to
humans..." [MMWR, Jan 16 1998, Vol 47, No 1]
 
My point isn't to scare people about bats but to heighten awareness that
rabies CAN be transmitted in unexpected ways.  Vaccinate!  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 3671]