At least half a dozen families in Marshall have received precautionary rabies vaccinations. That’s after community members handled puppies that had been living in an outbuilding with a dog that later tested positive for rabies
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) confirmed on April 29 that a dog in Marshall had tested positive for rabies. The dog had been in contact with an aggressive fox in the lower Yukon River community.
YKHC says medical staff were already on site to assist the community when test results came back positive for the deadly disease. As of May 5, YKHC staff remain in Marshall to provide vaccinations for anyone who believes they may have come into contact with the dog or the puppies. The treatment for potential exposure includes four doses of human rabies vaccine given over two weeks.
If left untreated, rabies infections are fatal for humans. It spreads through bites or scratches from infected animals because the virus that causes the disease resides in saliva.
YKHC says two other dogs in Marshall that killed the fox after it entered the outbuilding were euthanized. Those dogs were not tested for rabies. The fox was unable to be tested due to deterioration, according to the state Division of Public Health.
YKHC says it is treating any untested puppy as possibly infected. As of May 5, it had not tested all of the puppies. City leaders say it is unclear the exact number of puppies that may have had contact with a rabies-infected animal.
YKHC worked with the Alaska Department of Health’s epidemiology section and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to acquire the needed human rabies vaccines. The provider says it also received a donation of 100 doses of vaccine from manufacturer Bavarian Nordic.
YKHC says additional staff will be traveling to Marshall in the coming days to vaccinate other animals in the community as well.
The city has urged residents to avoid contact with wild animals, secure their pets, and verify that pet vaccinations are current.
YKHC requests that anyone in Marshall with questions or concerns contact its Office of Environmental Health at 907-543-6420, or the Marshall Clinic at 907-679-6226.
Click here for more information from YKHC about the rabies virus – how it's caught and spread and how to treat it.
