NH Health officials looking to identify those who came into contact with rabies-infected kittens
The New Hampshire Department of Health is asking people who may have come into contact with a pair of kittens in North Conway to take precautions after the felines tested positive for rabies.
A concerned citizen recently found one of the kittens and brought it to the Conway Area Humane Society.
Two veterinary practices cared for the kitten before it exhibited symptoms of rabies on November 11th and subsequently tested positive for rabies on November 13th. A second kitten then tested positive on November 16th.
“Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease,” said New Hampshire State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan. “Rabies typically circulates in wild animals, and every year, 20-30 animals test positive for rabies in New Hampshire. The best way to prevent exposure is to avoid direct contact with stray, feral, or wild animals. If a person is exposed to a sick animal, they may need the rabies vaccine and protective antibodies to prevent disease.”
Rabies is spread through a rabid animal’s saliva or neural tissue, and a person can be exposed when that saliva or neural tissue of a rabid animal comes in contact with a person through a bite or scratch, cut in the skin, or gets into the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Health officials recommend that all dogs, cats, and ferrets receive up-to-date rabies vaccinations.
Anyone with questions about rabies or who is concerned they may have been exposed to an animal infected with rabies should seek medical care or call the New Hampshire Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at (603) 271-4496.
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