A rise in the skunk population of Nebraska is leading to more than just an odor problem. There's been a sharp increase in the reported number of rabies-infected animals — most of them skunks — in the first half of 2009.
Dr. Annette Bredthauer, the state's public health veterinarian, said 51 animals — including 32 skunks — had tested positive for rabies through Tuesday.
In all of 2008, only 43 cases of rabies in animals were found in Nebraska. There were 31 in 2007 and 35 in 2006. The highest number of rabies cases in animals ever reported in Nebraska was 198 in 1981.
Skunks are the most common host of the rabies virus in Nebraska, followed by bats, Bredthauer said. Other common carriers are cats, dogs, livestock and raccoons.
Bredthauer said rabies outbreaks are cyclical, with the number of cases rising and falling depending on the skunk population.
“There are different varieties of rabies, and the skunk variant has adapted very well to living in skunks,” Bredthauer said. “The virus found a little niche in skunks where it grows very well.”
As the skunk population goes up, the animals fight for territory and rabies are spread, Bredthauer said. Because rabies are always fatal to skunks, the skunk population drops and the cycle repeats itself.
There have been 11 cases this year in Nebraska in which animals may have exposed humans to rabies, Bredthauer said.
Rabies can be contracted through the bite of an infected animal and is nearly always fatal in humans unless treatment is promptly given. Nebraska's last known human death from rabies was recorded in 1926.
In Iowa, only 12 cases of rabies in animals had been reported this year, including five in skunks. The Hawkeye State reported 29 animals infected by rabies in 2008, 31 in 2007, 57 in 2006 and 108 in 2005.
Pets plowing through underbrush are most likely to encounter a rabid animal. People can protect their pets by making sure they receive rabies vaccinations, Bredthauer said.
A vaccinated pet that has been bitten by a rabid animal is observed for 45 days, while a nonvaccinated animal must be quarantined for six months.
Bredthauer said people should take precautions to limit possible exposure to rabid animals.
“If an animal is acting strangely, leave it alone,” she said. “Strange behavior includes nocturnal animals such as skunks and raccoons being out in the day; wild animals that seem tame and approach people; and domestic animals that seem too vicious or unresponsive.”
Animal control or law enforcement officers should be notified if an animal is acting strangely, Bredthauer said.
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