Case Series of Human Rabies Exposures from Domestic versus Wild Animals in San Antonio, Texas, and Unincorporated Bexar County, 1982-1985

摘要

Rabies is a zoonotic virus which is commonly transmitted to humans by an animal bite. Since this disease is almost always fatal, control measures have been mainly preventative, consisting of stringent animal control programs, domestic cat and dog vaccination programs, and the liberal use of human diploid cell vaccine. In 1983, however, two cases of human rabies in United States citizens occurred which were attributed to inadequacies in both the animal and human vaccines. Therefore, it appears that emphasis must be placed on animal control programs in order to prevent initial rabies exposures. For this study, a systematic examination of animal bite reports from the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District will be performed. Results of this examination will be used to make recommendations regarding the community's present animal control program.