Back to Town of Hingham Massachusetts Board of Health
With the warm summer months approaching, it is important for Hingham residents to recognize the threat rabies poses to themselves and their pets, and become familiar with the ways they can avoid exposure to this disease.
Rabies is a frightening, fatal disease, which is caused by a virus carried in the saliva of rabid mammals. Wild animals in Massachusetts likely to be infected with the rabies virus include raccoons, skunks, bats, woodchucks, coyotes and foxes. Domestic animals like dogs, cats, and farm animals can get rabies from wild animals. That is why it is so important to vaccinate pets and livestock. Any mammal can get rabies. Bats can be a particularly dangerous carrier of rabies because their bite or scratch maybe too small to notice.
Rabies is preventable by following these simple guidelines:
Vaccinate your pets and livestock and keep them up-to-date.
Stay away from stray animals.
Make sure pet food and garbage are not left out where they can attract animals. Cover trash cans tightly.
If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, wash the area thoroughly with warm water and soap. Then contact your primary care physician.
Use caution when handling an animal that has been in a fight with another animal. If possible, wear gloves when handling your pet after a direct encounter with a wild or stray animal.
If you find a bat in the same room that you or your children have been sleeping, you should see your primary care physician. Never handle a bat with bare hands. Keep bats out of your house by closing any outside exposures in the attic and by screening the windows.
The most important means of controlling rabies in Hingham is you! By following these guidelines you can help keep the problem of rabies under control. Please call the Hingham Board of Health at 781-741-1466 if you have any questions.