Health Matters
This page is designed to advise Taxidermists (or anybody for that fact) who handles dead animals/birds etc about the various horrors that are out there such as Anthrax; Avian Flu; Psittacosis; Rabies and anything else that crops up.
It is also here to help the authorities (who we are in constant contact with) to spread the word and help prevent undue panic or spread of such diseases.
We are at present talking with DEFRA and Scottish Executive with the view to updating this page with as much information as we can gather - meanwhile one "old friend" has crawled out the woodwork and it is this:-
POTENTIAL RABIES RISK WHEN HANDLING BATS.
There are at least ten different families of rabies virus within the rabies group. These include not only the European Bat Lyssavirus (EBLV) which affects Bats in Europe (there are two strains of this - EBLV-1 & EBLV-2) but also others that affect bat species across the world. All may cause infection to human beings and other susceptible species through a bite, scratch or contact with mucous membranes (eg. eyes, nose and mouth). One such example of human infection was the tragic death of a Scottish bat conservationist from EBLV-2 in 2002. Results from the DEFRA funded EBLV surveillance programme indicate that about 3% of bats in Great Britain show evidence of having been exposed to EBLV-2. A small number of Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) have also been affected with this rabies virus in the UK.
Rabies viruses are also known to survive in cadavers (corpses). A couple of years ago a bat in this country that had died and then been kept deep frozen for about a year gave a positive result for EBLV. Thus people who handle such cadavers or tissues of dead bats would be at risk. Taxidermists clearly fit into this group.
IN THE EVENT OF POSITIVE EXPOSURE, first, and as soon as possible after the incident, the wound should be thoroughly washed with soap or detergent under a running tap for several minutes. It is important not to scrub the wound. Then flush out all traces of soap. Additional cleansing of the wound site with an alcohol base or other disinfectant is also recommended. The wound should then be covered with a simple dressing and medical advice sought straight away. Immediate medical treatment is extremely effective in ensuring that the person who handled the bat will not develop rabies.
Taxidermists would not need a preventative rabies vaccine unless in
the course of their work they regularly bats or other mammals. They
can seek advice on vaccination from their general practitioner. Taxidermists
should always wear protective gloves when handling bats even if they
are vaccinated.
LYMES Disease
This is issue by the American Veterinary Assoc - but is still relevant
Cause
Lyme disease is caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi ( B. burgdorferi ) bacteria .
How the disease is spread
Lyme disease is spread when you are bitten by a tick that is infected with B. burgdorferi bacteria. When an infected tick bites you, bacteria travel to the tick's salivary glands and then into your body through your skin. It takes about 24 hours for a tick to attach itself to the skin and begin to feed. The tick generally must be attached to you for 36 to 48 hours in order for it to transmit the Lyme disease bacteria.
In the United States, the two types of ticks that carry Lyme disease bacteria are:
• Deer ticks , which spread Lyme disease in the northeastern and upper Midwest.
• Western black-legged ticks , which spread Lyme disease along the Pacific coast—mostly northern California and Oregon.
Dogs, cats, and horses can become infected with Lyme disease bacteria, but they cannot pass the illness to humans. However, infected ticks may fall off the animals and then bite and infect humans. Animals may develop symptoms similar to those seen in people, including fever and swollen joints. A vaccine for dogs is available in some states.
There is no convincing evidence that Lyme disease can be spread to humans by insects such as mosquitoes, flies, or fleas.
Is Lyme disease contagious?
Lyme disease is not contagious and cannot be transmitted from person to person. However, certain precautions should be taken to prevent spread of the illness through ways such as blood transfusions.
• People with active Lyme disease should not donate blood, because the bacteria that cause the illness can be transmitted this way. People who were previously treated for Lyme disease may be able to donate blood, but they should check with the blood bank first.
• A pregnant woman may be able to pass Lyme disease to her unborn child, but proven cases are rare. Lyme disease has not been shown to cause birth defects or fetal death.
• There is no evidence that breast-feeding mothers can pass the illness to their babies through breast milk. However, a nursing mother who is suspected of having Lyme disease may be asked to stop nursing until she has completed a course of antibiotic therapy. The baby is also watched closely for symptoms of Lyme disease.
Symptoms
Lyme disease may progress in stages from mild symptoms to serious, long-term disabilities if left untreated. There are three stages of Lyme disease : early localized, early disseminated, and late persistent.
Stage 1: Early localized infection (1 to 4 weeks)
From 1 to 4 weeks after being infected with bacteria that cause Lyme disease, up to 80% of people develop an expanding, circular red skin rash (called erythema migrans ). 3
For people who live in areas where Lyme disease most often occurs—in the United States along the Atlantic coast, the Midwest, and parts of Oregon and California—the circular rash is usually a sure sign of Lyme disease, especially when it appears during the summer months.
In up to 50% of people who have Lyme disease, the expanding circular rash is accompanied by flulike symptoms such as: 6
• Fatigue or lack of energy, which is the most common symptom.
• Headache and stiff neck.
• Fever and chills.
• Muscle and joint pain.
• Swollen lymph nodes .
As many as 25% have only flulike symptoms (no rash) or have no symptoms at all. 2
Stage 2: Early disseminated infection (1 to 4 months)
If Lyme disease is not detected and treated while early symptoms are present, or if you do not have early symptoms that trigger the need for treatment, the infection may spread to the skin, joints, nervous system , and heart within weeks to months after the initial infection.
Symptoms at this stage may include: 7 , 4
• Persistent fatigue.
• Additional skin rashes in several places on your body that develop as the infection spreads.
• Pain, weakness, or numbness in the arms or legs.
• Inability to control the muscles of the face ( paralysis of the facial nerves).
• Recurring headaches or fainting.
• Poor memory and reduced ability to concentrate.
• Conjunctivitis (pinkeye) or sometimes damage to deep tissue in the eyes.
• Occasional rapid heartbeats ( palpitations ) or, in rare cases, serious heart problems. 7
Stage 3: Late persistent infections
If Lyme disease is not promptly or effectively treated, damage to the joints, nerves, and brain may develop months or years after you become infected ( late Lyme disease ). Symptoms at this stage may include: 6 , 2
• Swelling and pain ( inflammation ) in the joints, especially in the knees.
• Numbness and tingling in the hands, feet, or back.
• Severe fatigue.
• Partial facial nerve paralysis ( Bell's palsy ), which usually occurs within the first few months after the tick bite. 8
• Neurologic changes, including problems with memory, mood, or sleep and sometimes problems speaking.
• Chronic Lyme arthritis , which causes recurring episodes of swelling, redness, and fluid buildup in one or more joints that last up to 6 months at a time.
Heart, nervous system, and joint symptoms may be the first signs of Lyme disease in people who did not have a rash or other symptoms of early infection.
Prevention
Lyme disease can be prevented. If you visit or live in an area where it frequently occurs, you can greatly lower your risk of getting Lyme disease by taking steps to avoid tick bites and checking for and promptly removing ticks from your body and clothing. Quickly removing attached ticks is especially important if you are pregnant or nursing because the effects of Lyme disease on a fetus are not fully understood. However, pregnant woman can be assured that with proper treatment of Lyme disease, there is very little risk of harm to the baby.
If you or someone in your family has been exposed to ticks, watch carefully for symptoms of Lyme disease (such as flulike symptoms or a circular red rash), and contact your doctor right away if symptoms appear. If you find a tick attached to your body and think the tick has been there longer than 24 hours, ask your doctor whether a single dose of the antibiotic doxycycline could help prevent Lyme disease from developing. Research indicates that if you are given a single dose of the antibiotic doxycycline within 72 hours after you are bitten by an infected tick, your chance of developing Lyme disease can be reduced by as much as 87%. 12 It may be especially effective for people who have a high-risk of getting Lyme disease due to living in certain geographic regions (such as northeastern United States). For the medication to be effective, it is important that you be treated within 72 hours of the bite. This medication should not be used by children younger than 8 or by pregnant or nursing women.
How to avoid tick bites
• Learn where ticks and deer that carry ticks are most commonly found in your community, and avoid those areas if possible. Currently, there is an effort to prevent the spread of Lyme disease by treating the sleeping areas of deer and mice with chemicals that kill ticks. Deer are also being fed chemically treated food to decrease the number of ticks they carry; it appears these efforts are reducing the numbers of ticks on deer and mice. 16
• Cover as much of your body as possible when working or playing in grassy or wooded areas. Wear a hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and long pants with the legs tucked into your socks. Keep in mind that it is easier to spot ticks on light-colored clothes.
• Use insect repellents , such as products containing DEET, that are effective against ticks and can be sprayed directly on your skin. Remember that higher concentrations of DEET are not recommended for infants and small children. Insect repellents containing permethrin, a strong chemical that kills ticks on contact, can be put on clothes, especially pants, socks, and shoes. However, avoid putting products containing permethrin directly on your skin.
• Take steps to control ticks on your property if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent. Clearing leaves, brush, tall grasses, woodpiles, and stone fences from around your house and the edges of your yard or garden may help reduce the tick population and the rodent population that the ticks depend on. Remove plants that attract deer, and use barriers to keep deer—and the deer ticks they may carry—out of your yard. Treating yards with chemicals that kill ticks (ascaricides) is sometimes effective but exposes you and your pets to chemicals that may not be safe. You may choose to treat your lawn for ticks with nonchemical or environmentally safe methods instead. Call your local landscaping nursery or county extension office for more information.
Checking for ticks
• When you come in from outdoors, check all over your body for ticks, including your groin, head, and underarms. If no one else can help you check for ticks on your scalp, comb your hair with a fine-toothed comb. This should remove most ticks that are present. Don't forget to check for ticks on any gear you had with you in the woods.
• At the end of the day, take a shower and use a washcloth to clean your body. This will knock off any ticks that are loosely attached to your body. Remember, it takes about 24 hours for a tick to attach itself to the skin.
• If you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent, check your children daily for ticks, especially during the summer months.
• Check your pets for ticks after they've been outdoors. Not only can your pet get Lyme disease, but it can carry infected ticks indoors where the ticks might fall off your pet and attach to you.
• When hiking in the woods, carry a small jar filled with rubbing alcohol. If you find a tick on your body, properly remove the tick and keep it in the alcohol so you can give it to your doctor if symptoms develop. The tick can be tested to learn whether it is carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Removing ticks
• Use fine-point tweezers to remove the tick. Grasp the tick as close to its mouth (the part that is embedded in your skin) as possible.
• Slowly pull the tick straight out (don't twist or yank) until its mouth is released from your skin.
• Avoid pushing on or squeezing the tick's swollen abdomen. Squeezing it can push bacteria into your body.
• If the tick breaks and part of it stays under your skin, do not try to remove the rest of it by digging under the skin. This just causes more skin damage. Your doctor may be able to remove it. If the rest of the tick cannot be removed, it will be expelled by the skin naturally in a few weeks.
• Use soap and water to wash the area where the tick was attached.
• Do not try to suffocate the tick with petroleum jelly, nail polish, or rubbing alcohol. This may increase your risk of infection.
• Do not try to burn the tick with a cigarette or match while the tick is attached to your skin.
• Watch for signs of infection, such as an expanding red rash and flulike symptoms. Keep in mind that most tick bites do not lead to infection—deer ticks have to feed for a minimum of 36 to 48 hours before they can pass on bacteria that cause Lyme disease.
Vaccine for Lyme disease
A vaccine was developed for use in high-risk areas; however, the vaccine was recently removed from the market due to uncertainty over its effectiveness and lack of demand, and it is no longer available.
This company or individual cannot accept any responsibility for information given that is either misinterpreted by the author or the recipient and which is based either on experience gained or a matter of law where the precedence is yet to be decided by a court of law. Any information or guidence given is purely an opinion, therefore it is recommended that accredited legal advise is sought where appropriate.
