FOR ALL MEDIA CONTACT: Peter Judge

Executive Secretary

Leon A. Gaumond Jr., M.P.A.

Telephone: 413-525-5427

Fax : 413-525-1025

Email: lgaumond@eastlongmeadow.org

For immediate release: March 25, 2004

For further information, contact –

Leon Gaumond at 525-5400x420

NEWS RELEASE: April is Rabies Awareness Month

Is rabies a problem in East Longmeadow? Would you be surprised to learn that, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, more than 216 wild and domesticated animals statewide have tested positive for rabies in the last year? In Massachusetts, thousands of pets are quarantined every year because of exposure to potentially rabid animals. Additionally, each year hundreds of people must undergo rabies vaccinations because of bites or scratches from potentially rabid wild animals or stray pets. Yet most of these exposures could be avoided by keeping dogs and cats up-to- date on rabies vaccinations, by staying away from stray and wild animals, and by following other simple preventive measures.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has declared April to be Rabies Awareness Month. With the warm summer months approaching, it is important for Massachusetts’s citizens to recognize the threat rabies poses to themselves and their pets, and to become familiar with the ways they can avoid exposure to this disease.

Rabies is a frightening, fatal disease that is caused by a virus carried in the salvia of rabid mammals. Wild animals in Massachusetts likely to be infected with the rabies virus include raccoons, skunks, bats, woodchucks, and foxes. Over 4000 animals have tested positive for rabies from September 1992, when the raccoon strain of rabies first entered Massachusetts, though December 2003. Rabid animals have been found in almost every city and town in Massachusetts.

To respond to this public health challenge, East Longmeadow is conducting the Annual Rabies Immunization Clinic on Saturday, April 3, 2004 from 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. under the direction of Dr. Clifford A. Krueger, at Porter Road Pet care at 141 Porter Road.

The immunization of all dogs and cats is mandatory, and the inoculation is effective for one year. The charge for each inoculation is $10.00. It is strongly recommended that those persons having their dogs vaccinated at the Clinic make certain that the animals have previously been vaccinated against Parvo disease. All dogs brought to the Clinic must be leashed and all cats must be in carriers. Also, if available, please bring along any rabies vaccination history.

The Town Clerk has announced that the 2004 dog licenses are available. The Board of Health requires that the Town Clerk’s Office receive proof of the vaccination certificate issued by a veterinarian before issuing a dog license. The licensing of dogs is mandatory in East Longmeadow. Cats are not required to be licensed, but must be vaccinated against rabies as required by State Law.

Rabies is preventable by following these simple guidelines:

1) Vaccinate your pets and keep them up-to-date.

2) Stay away from stray and wild animals.

3) Make sure that pet food and garbage are not left out where they can attract animals. Make sure trashcans left outside are tightly covered.

4) If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, wash the area thoroughly with warm water and soap and then contact your medical provider.

5) Use caution when handling a pet that has been in a fight with another animal. Use gloves when cleaning up or first examining your pet after a direct encounter with a wild or stray animal.

6) Be extra cautious about bats. Bat bites and scratches may be tiny, almost undetectable. If you cannot rule out an exposure talk to your medical provider.

7) Bat proof your home. Information on bat proofing your home is available in a Homeowner’s Guide to Bats, available from the Massachusetts division of Fisheries and Wild life website at www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dfw/dfwwld.htm

The most important means of controlling rabies in East Longmeadow is you! This spring, remember to vaccinate your pets and use common sense around stray and wild animals. You can keep the problem of rabies under control. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has more rabies information online at