Wild raccoons should not be petted or approached
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As Hoosiers head outdoors to enjoy the summer weather and engage in activities like camping, hiking and hunting, state health officials warn people to be cautious when encountering raccoons and other wildlife, which may appear harmless. Such animals pose a risk for injury or severe, painful illness and treatment.
"We're entering the time of year where we're seeing a lot more raccoon to human contact," said James Howell, D.V.M, veterinary epidemiologist with the Indiana State Department of Health. "Many young raccoons appear to be tame or orphans and will even approach humans; however, raccoons are wild animals, and should not be petted or fed, especially by children."
Dr. Howell said that a number of individuals have already been bitten by raccoons this year and been treated for possible exposure to the rabies virus. That treatment includes receiving one dose of rabies immune globulin on the first day of care plus vaccine in the arm. After that, vaccine is given in the arm at three, seven, 14, and 28 days. Treatment cost is about $2,000.
Rabies is a viral disease that infects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) of mammals. Left untreated, rabies is fatal.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabies can only be confirmed in a laboratory, but any raccoon that is active in the day, shows no fear of humans, acts aggressively, or appears listless is more likely to have rabies than one not exhibiting such behavior. As a result, raccoons should never be handled. Bites from raccoons, as well as from other wild carnivores, pose a high rabies transmission risk.
In addition to the rabies threat, raccoons, especially young ones, are often infected with the raccoon roundworm, which can cause severe disease in humans, including death. People get roundworm by ingesting the worm eggs that may be on the animal's fur as well in fecal material. Raccoon feces may contain thousands of worm eggs.
Young children may accidentally ingest traces of this material if playing where raccoons have defecated around a home or in a yard. To assist in disease prevention, children should wash their hands after playing in sandboxes or other areas where they may have become soiled before placing their hands near their mouth and before consuming food or drink.
Raccoon life history:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/publications/lifeseries/raccoon.htm Raccoon photo:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/raccoon-maxwell.jpg Wildlife Conflicts Information Hotline:
http://www.entm.purdue.edu/wildlife/wild.htm Media contact
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Jennifer Dunlap,
ISDH,
(317) 233-7315
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