The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-03-19
CONTROL OF HYDROPHOBIA
IN COUNTY is DIFFICULT
Must Control All Dogs Before
The Disease Is Eliminated

In This county the control OF RABIES
will be particularly difficult, as less
than sixteen per cent of the boundary
of Garrett county is Allegany county,
Maryland, and the restborders on West
Virginia and Pennsylvania, which
have even more cases of rabies than
Garrett county has and could not be
counted on to control it by measures
uniform with ours, according to DR.,
E. c. Pesk, health officer.
"The way to control rabies is very
plain, but very difficult of accomplish
ment," he continued. ut is an infec-
tious disease ordinarily spread by the
saliva of an infected animal and so
usually reaches another animal by in
fecting bites. In this part of the coun-
try dogs are the only animals apt to
spread it through the community. In
the dog the saliva is infectious for a
week or ten days before the dog shows
signs of illness which lasts usually
less than ten days. Thus the dog sail
va is dangerous if it reaches a cut or
scratch on persons or animals during
the period of over a week before any
one suspects it.
"While the dog is mad it runs away
from its home, biting any living thing
that comes in its path. In this period
the dog may get twenty-five miles
from home and the owner does not
know what has become of it. The dog
which ran through the North Glade
community on December II was never
Identified, and it caused the death of
a horse, three hogs, twelve sheep, sew
eral chickens and dogs, and forced
two persons to take the Pasteur pre-
ventive treatment. When such a dog
runs into group of school children
as happened at Fairmont, West Va,
recently, terrible situation follows.
1.-THE control of the disease consists
in the control of dogs. Dogs which are
muzzled or securely confined with a
chain or pen cannot spread the dis
ease. If they should develop it while
confined, it would be easy to arrange
preventive treatment of any persons
or dogs living with them. The average
period which elapseS between expos
ure and the development of the dis
cas- is in man 40 days; dogs, 81 to 90
days; horses, 28 to Sc days; cows, 28
to Sc days; hogs, ID to 81 days; goats
and sheep, Fl to % days; birds, Ia to
40 days. The period is Shorterwhen the
bite is about the face or neck as the
virus travels from the wound to the
brain along the course Of the nerves
There is great deal to be said
in favor of preventive vaccination of
all dogs against rabies, but in a
county like Garrett it would not be
carried out completely enough to JUS
tify the expense. In the first place, all
the dogs would have to be caught and
registered and given the incubation.
The dog tax collectors have never yet
succeeded in carrying out their work
completely. In the second place, the
incubation costs around a dollar, I'M
less some arrangement such as large
clinics for dogs to which all dogs
would be brought on certain days
could be arranged. In the third place,
the incubation is probably not 100
per cent effective and only protects
for a year to a year and a-half.
ITO my mind the only effective
thing to do is to insist that all dogs are
domestic animals which must be con-
fined on the Premises of the owner I'M
less thoroughly muzzled or on leash. No
one would think of allowing horses,
sheep or other domestic animals to
wander as dogs are allowed to do. All