‘Stanley’ The Kitten’s Effort To Contain Deadly Rabby Virus (image-pixabay)
A couple in Omaha, US, Madeline Wahl and Rich adopted a kitten, which was found in their friend’s driveway and named him Stanley. The kitten found was 5 weeks old and barely two pounds. But within two days, the kitten stopped eating and developed seizures and displayed trouble in breathing.
The kitten when consulted by a veterinarian noted that the kitten’s pupils were different sizes and the kitten died the very next day. The test results came in 48 hours indicated the presence of rabies.
As per the test report, it indicated that the kitten carried strain of raccoon rabies which had never been detected in the west of the Appalachian Mountains. The variant is normally visible in the eastern part of United States. Meanwhile, Omaha is a state which is situated midwestern part of US, almost 850 miles away.
The mystery has sparked emergency response in the city. The officials fear the spread of the virus even further from Omaha to surrounding areas as there aren’t many large mountain barriers, rivers or deserts to act as a natural barrier. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that the virus would expand in concentric circles at about 24 miles a year, reports Washington Post.
In order to stop the spread of the disease, the wildlife biologists are taking measures by hauling trailers full of traps, injectable rabies vaccines, gallons of anise oil and cases of marshmallows — to lure, trap and vaccinate raccoons. The health officials have also given doses of rabies vaccine to the people who had been scratched or bitten by the infected kitten. The official will have to wait till next year to know whether they have stopped the spread of the disease. The incubation period of the virus is from one week to three months. The officials yet could not find the source of the infection in Stanley.
Rabies is caused by a virus that infects the central nervous system of the mammals and is nearly always fatal if untreated. The virus that killed the kitten is expected to be transmitted among raccoons.
More than 90 percent of the US rabies cases in animals occur in wildlife, most commonly raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes. Animals which are infected with rabies may be aggressive and try to bite, or they may be seen to drool more than normal. Another sign of the presence of the virus is different size-pupil.
