The Coolidge examiner., 1944-02-04

Coolidge dogs which has many a
parent scared out of his wits is
said to be wild coyotes which are
known to range even to the edge
of Coolidge. Stray dogs, of which
goodness knows Coolidge has
more than her share, roam into
the coyote territory, pick a fight
and become infected with this
most dreaded disease of the can
inc world
RABIES is BECOMING
more and more of a problem in
Arizona and if there is to be any
control it must be accepted as a
community problem. Now that we
have the problem face to face with
us, we'd better do some serious
community thinking about how to
safeguard the lives of our children,
innocent youngsters who are in
clined to pet" every dog they see.
IN A RECENT
bulletin of Arizona State Board of
Health, there appeared an illumi-
mating article which we believe
worth reprinting here:
1--WE can think of no more diff
cult situation in which a health
officer can be placed than when
a rabies epidemic occurs in his
community. He is damned if he
does his duty and damned if he
doesn't. He is asked to decide
who should receive Pasteur treat
ment and who should not, when
the victim of a dog bite does not
know what dog bit him, or If 1t
was rabid.
"If the man does not take the
treatment and develops rabies, the
Health officer is permanently
damned if he did not recommend
it, and if the man takes the treat
ment and has severe reaction,
which may happen, he is out on
limb. .
This responsibility is accepted
by the health officer but it is a
good deal to ask of him unless the
dog owner and the community
give him complete support in his
control measures.
1--WE say dog owner, for while
any mammal (and birds) contract
rabies and transmit it to another
animal or a human, it is the dog.
Mans best friend" that is most
commonly responsible. While in
fected wild animal life may and
do serve as reservoirs of infec-
-tton, once the dog population be-
comes infected, they serve as the
main source of further infection,
for that population.
'It is stated that the incubation
period may be as short as ten
days or as long as two years.
From this it is easy to understand
that once a rabies epidemic oc-
ours among the dogs in a COM
munity, it continues to be present
among them.
"It is possible for dog to con-
tract rabies even if he is not per-
mitted to run at large, as cats may
still come on the premises and in
feet the dog. but the risk is re-
duced immeasurably by thus re-
stricting his liberty.
at seems to me unnatural not
to like dogs but is also seems
little odd that one would not also
like them well enough to protect
them from this dangerous disease.
One should not need to be a dog
lover to also wish to protect our
children who are helpless in the
presence of a rabid dog.
Many measures have been
adopted for the control of rabies
including vaccination of dogs.
There is still some difference of
opinion on the subject of vaccina-
ton. There is no difference OF
opinion regarding the menace OF
the stray dog, or the dog that runs
at large. These two measures at
least are accepted as being the
only ones that offer any means for
The control of rabies.
There are enough things which
we cannot control without our neg
lecting those we car. A perma-
nent quarantine would not be
hardship that some people imag-
inc and has kept rabies out of the
only countries where it does not
exist.
"Your health department can
not protect you unless you also ac-
cept the responsibility of helping
yourself and the rest of the COM
munity."
THERE YOU HAVE
it. A clear, concise and easily un-
derstandable presentation of just
what we in Coolidge are up
against in this matter of rabld