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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend February 26, 2007 Since You Asked: Beware rabid cows The other day (Since You Asked, Wednesday, Feb. 21) a very nice lady was warned that "all bets are off" if her opossum friend ever showed up rabid. I was once told by a very official-looking self-proclaimed animal control officer that opossums don't carry rabies. Can you summon the experts at Since You Asked and clarify this marsupial mystery? While you are at it, can you come up with a list of some of the more popular animals in the Rogue Valley that carry rabies? Or do all wild animals carry the disease? -- Mark D., Grants Pass Mark, apparently you missed our Readers Choice list of the Most Popular Rabid Animal in the Rogue Valley. Raccoons took the top spot, followed by skunks and bats. Any mammal, yourself included, can be a carrier of the rabies virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "The most common wild reservoirs of rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes. Domestic mammals can also get rabies. Cats, cattle, and dogs are the most frequently reported rabid domestic animals in the United States." Don't know about you, but we're least interested in running across a rabid cow. Advertisement Opossums are resistant to the virus, but can still carry and spread the disease. The best reason we could find for their resistance is they have a lower body temperature that the virus doesn't like. It's a really intriguing disease in how it manifests. CDC reports that "Rabies virus infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache, and general malaise. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms." The threat in Southern Oregon is minimal ... a CDC incidence map of rabies shows the vast majority of rabid animals are found along the Atlantic seaboard states, primarily in New England. But, there was a human rabies death in Glenn County, California, as recently as 2002. That case was from a bat (the home had a bat colony in the attic), and death resulted because rabies treatment wasn't started until it was too late. [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help