Chicago rabies case: A dog in Chicago has tested positive for rabies in what Illinois officials say is the state’s first confirmed case in more than three decades.
The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control said no rabies cases had been documented in Illinois since 1994, or in Cook County since before 1964.
The infected animal was a puppy rescued from Georgia and brought to the PAWS Chicago shelter in May. Shelter officials said the dog received required vaccinations, including a rabies shot, in June.
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A family adopted the puppy in July but returned it to PAWS last week after it bit someone in the household and displayed changes in behaviour. Veterinarians and animal behaviour specialists conducted a risk assessment, and the dog was euthanised. Cook County laboratories subsequently confirmed rabies through clinical testing.
PAWS has facilitated more than 91,000 adoptions during its 27 years of operation and has never encountered a rabies case before, according to shelter representatives.
Dr Claire Behnke, a veterinarian at Animal Medical Center of Chicago, said neither she nor her colleagues had previously treated a rabid dog. “This is luckily a very rare thing,” Behnke said. “It’s pretty scary. If you get infected with rabies and show signs of disease, it’s like 99.9% fatal.”
The infected puppy visited Bow Wow Lounge, a dog daycare facility, on four occasions this month before testing positive. County officials identified 13 people who had direct contact with the dog during the period when it could transmit the disease. All have begun preventive treatment. None has reported symptoms.
Rabies is transmitted from infected animals to humans primarily through saliva, most often via bites, according to Cook County health authorities. The virus can also spread when saliva from a rabid animal enters open wounds or contacts the eyes, nose or mouth.
The Chicago Department of Public Health is investigating how a vaccinated dog contracted the disease. PAWS said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are analysing the virus strain to help determine how the dog became infected.
