The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-18
TWERT-SIX PERSONS
NOW UNDER TREATMENT
Rabies in State Requires Unusual
Precautions. Says State Board
OF Health

Twenty-six persons are now taking
State treatment to prevent rabies, and
the number IS increasing SO rapidly
that this State Board OF Health. ae1
fcord,ng to an official announcement,
regards unusual and far-reaChing pre-
cautions as necessary to prevent th&
spread OF the disease.
Some Of the recent cases arriving
here rur treatment II tc' ia bora
tory show. In the judgment of the
board. why town and city councils. as
we'll as county boards Of supervisors.
should act promptly to have dogs mug
zled or kept on the premises.
Four patients a the laboratory arc
from the same southside town, where
n mad dog made its appearance some
days ago The dog hit TWO negroes
before the alarm was spread and then
set on a man who was one OF crowd
searching for the dog in order To XII
IN The man was armed, but could
not shoot the dog for fear of murine
someone In the crowd. As a result. he
was bitten. as WIS a child before the
dog was finally dispatched.
The Council OF the town took
prompt action and passed an ordi-
nance requiring that all dogs should
either be muzzled or kept on the prem
ises OF their owners, Dogs allowed
lin the streets unmuZzled are killed,
and the owners, IN addition, are fined
sic.
Another case now Mt the State lah-
oratory comes from the western part
Of the state. He is the head or a
family. and happened to be near at
hand when a mad dog attempted 10
bite two of his children. The man
drove off the dog. but was bitten IN
the encounter. As his children were
alone at the time. ne could not I'M
mediately follow the dog. 1t Is feared
that after the dog was beaten Oft he
NAV have attacked other dogs, which
will develop rabies.
Two other cases-one from North
ern Virginia and the other from the
southside-were bitten by animals
which were killed, and were found,
upon examination, to be suffering from
rabies. !.
These and other recent arrivals at
the state laboratory bring the num-
her now under treatment to twenty
six-almost rs many as the State has
had to treat at any one time since
Il began administering the ano-raplc
virus free of cost to the persons TO
whom the charges of the Pasteur in
stItutes would be a hardship
These cases and reports OF mad
dogs found In other sections OF the
state" says the weekly bulletin of the
board today, ''makes 1t plain that ra-
bies will steadily increase and that
much valuable stock will have to DE
killed unless precautions are taken.
In addition, many persons VIII nave
70 leave home and undergo the ex-
pense Of three weeks residence In
Richmond to save themselves from the
raveges Of this fearful disease.
THE State is poweriess to do any
thing to prevent the spread or TINS
disease where the local authorities fail
to exercise their legal rights in pro-
tecting citizens against rahid animals
The safe course Is the simplest-to
order all dogs muzzled or confined in
every district where there is the least
re .son to believe that rabid animals
may be at large, Experience has
shown that 1t is usually the STRAY
dog which is responsible for the
spread Of rabies"