PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- State officials warned Thursday that "a large number of people" may have been exposed to rabies via a calf in a pasture adjacent to Gray's Ice Cream, 16 East Rd., Tiverton.
The calf bit a visitor on July 15, the departments of health and environmental management said in a news release. The Tiverton animal control officer, following standard procedure, ordered the animal quarantined for ten days to determine whether it would develop rabies, and would thus require that the victim be vaccinated. But the three-month-old calf died on July 21, its owner reported to Tiverton authorities.
The state departments, however did not learn of the death for three days, they said, and the carcass had decomposed to the point where it was not possible to determine whether the animal had the disease.
"Out of an abundance of caution, public health officials are considering that this animal may have died from rabies and are viewing anyone that had contact with the animal's saliva from July 5 through July 21 as potentially at risk for being exposed to rabies, and are recommending that they be evaluated for post-exposure vaccination by public health authorities," the state officials said. "Members of the public should note that the calf was removed from direct public contact on July 16, and that only the animal's handlers may have been exposed during the period from July 16 through July 21."
The officials said that cattle and cats are the animals most likely susceptible to rabies.
The disease is incurable and has a fatality rate approaching 100 percent.
"People usually contract rabies through a bite from an infected animal, but there are other ways that they can be exposed, such as through saliva from an infected animal getting into an open wound or into a person's eye or mouth," the officials said.
Rhode Island residents who had contact with this calf between July 5 and July 21 should contact the Rhode Island Department of Health at (401) 222-2577 for an evaluation. Massachusetts residents that had contact with the animal are asked to call the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 617-983-6800.
When administered properly, post-exposure treatment for rabies will prevent any person who was exposed to the virus from developing the disease and prevent death.