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Does Your Company Have a Rabies Exposure Protocol?
1 Aug, 2008 By: Pest management staff Wildlife Management ProfessionalWhen dealing with rabies exposure, WMPs have one chance to get it right. You'd better have a plan in place to make sure you do.
Back in the early 1980s I was bitten by a customer's dog while doing a termite inspection. I asked the owner if the dog had its shots, was assured it had, and went off to the hospital. I was treated, released and never really gave it another thought. Today, I would have handled the situation quite differently.
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Keeping employees safe is no easy task. Wildlife management professionals (WMPs) are faced with a myriad of Zoonotic hazards from the moment they come in contact with an animal. Histoplasmosis, Salmonella, Hantavirus, raccoon roundworm and others are all serious threats. The difference with rabies is that it is almost always fatal with the onset of symptoms. Basically, when it comes to rabies you only get one chance to do things right.
Most employees will certainly bring it to your attention if they are bitten by a wild or domestic animal. But, do they know there are other ways they can be exposed to rabies? Have they been trained to call their supervisor if they have been exposed?
How it's spread
Rabies is a viral infection that is primarily found in saliva, tissue and fluid of the central nervous system. It can be spread through a bite of an infected animal. It can also be spread if saliva, nervous system tissue, or fluid gets into a mucous membrane like your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Rabies could also be transmitted through an open wound or a scratch. Airborne transmission is possible but rare and might occur in an area such as a moist cave with little or no ventilation.
Although the virus is broken down by ultraviolet light, it may be transferred from one animal to another from sharing food or water bowls. Rabies may be passed from a mother to young in the womb. It is not transmitted through contact with blood, urine or feces.
The rabies virus can occur in all mammals, including man. Wild animals account for 92 percent of reported cases of rabies in the United States. Raccoons are the most frequently reported rabid wild species followed by bats, skunks and foxes. It is rare for rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels and chipmunks to become infected. Only mammals get rabies, so don't worry about animals such as birds and snakes — there are other problems associated with them.
Minimizing risks
WMPs should regularly train employees in proper animal handling procedures and the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) they will need to avoid exposure. But an exposure protocol is different. It is specifically designed to teach how to recognize an exposure and the steps to follow if you have been exposed. The exposure protocol documents that an employee understands what constitutes an exposure and that they are to follow the steps outlined by the protocol in order to minimize the hazard.
Schedule a training meeting and prepare a written protocol on company letterhead. Have employees sign in upon arrival and document attendance. Go over examples of exposures and discuss the most common rabies vectors for your state. Prepare a short fact sheet on the rabies virus and have a few test questions to be sure everyone understands.
The written rabies exposure protocol should include the following safety measures and procedures:
- If you are bitten, scratched or otherwise exposed to an animal's saliva, try to confine or isolate the animal. Be careful not to further expose yourself or anyone else.
- Immediately cleanse the wound with soap and water.
- Call your supervisor, advise him that you have been exposed. Tell him the type of animal involved and the town in which it occurred. The supervisor can then contact the local health department. The supervisor and the health department will determine how to handle the animal.
- Get medical attention from the nearest hospital emergency room.
- If you are bitten or exposed to a customer's pet, ask for proof of vaccination and follow above procedures.
Employees should sign and date one copy of the rabies protocol, and keep it on hand or in his work truck for reference in an emergency. Another should become part of the permanent company training record.
Be sure there has not been an exposure to anyone before an animal is let go or improperly destroyed.
Think about others
Often, we are called by a homeowner because of a bat in the house. Sometimes the solution is as simple as opening a window for a frightened owner and allowing it to fly out.
But we really need to be cognizant if there has been an exposure, especially with sleeping people, small children or anyone who might not have the mental capacity of knowing whether they have been exposed. We need to advise them about getting medical attention, or at least contacting the health department.
Rabies is a treatable disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) Modern day prophylaxis is nearly 100 percent successful. Human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to get medical attention, usually because they were unaware they were exposed.
When dealing with a possible rabies exposure, there's a short window of opportunity and only one chance to get it right.
Greg Ten Hoeve is the Quality Assurance / Quality Control Manager and Sales Manager for Bug Doctor Termite & Pest Control, Bird Doctor, Mosquito Doctor and Animal Doctor. Contact him at mywmp@questex.com.
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