For Release: Monday, August 4, 2008 

HEALTH DEPT. ISSUES PUBLIC APPEAL IN RABIES CASE

The Allegheny County Health Department is urging anyone who may have come in contact with a long haired black stray cat with white chest marking, in the area of Gardenville Road in Bethel Park, between July 25 and August 1, to call the Health Department at 412-687-ACHD.

The cat tested positive for rabies after biting one person on Friday, when it was captured, killed and submitted to the Health Department for testing.  

The person exposed to the stray cat is being treated with anti-rabies vaccine as a precaution and not expected to develop rabies.

“We’re encouraging anyone else who may have been bitten or scratched by this stray cat to come forward, so they can be evaluated and treated without delay,” said County Health Director Dr. Bruce W. Dixon.

Other stray cats have been reported in the same vicinity.  Anyone who sees these strays should avoid contact with them and call 911 or the local animal control service.

Rabies exposures typically occur through a break in the skin that comes in contact with an infected animal’s saliva.  The disease is almost always fatal when left untreated.

Health officials warn people to avoid contact with all stray dogs and cats, even when they appear healthy.  It’s possible they might have had contact with wild animals, especially raccoons, and may have become infected with the rabies virus.   

The stray cat is the seventh rabid animal reported in the County this year.  Earlier cases included four raccoons, a groundhog and a gray fox. Ten rabid animals were reported in 2007 -- nine raccoons and a bat.  

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