HHS HealthBeat (January 22, 2008)

The case of the dangerous stray

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

It was a stray kitten – bright, alert, and very hungry and thirsty. Teammates who found it at a girls’ softball tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina, adopted it. And when it started to act unusually tired and sleepy, someone brought it to a vet.

It turned out the kitten had rabies. And everyone who could have caught rabies from the kitten had to get vaccinations. It was a multistate investigation.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Kira Christian says there’s a lesson here about strays:

``If you were to come into contact with a stray, or un-owned, or otherwise unfamiliar animal, then what I would recommend is to call animal control.’’  (7 seconds)

People, especially kids, should not be playing with or petting strays. And even if it’s familiar, that doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: January, 22 2008