Rabies found in Cayo District

Farmers in the Cayo District are on high alert tonight after the Belize Agricultural Health Authority confirmed two cases of rabies in two different animals. According to BAHA’s veterinary technician Arden Edwards, two weeks ago a young bull tested positive for the virus and last Friday, a fox that had bitten a young boy was also found to be rabid. Apparently, a horse from Dangriga is also displaying symptoms, but because the animal must be killed and its brain sent to Panama for testing, the results are not yet available. The situation has led the Ministry of Agriculture to urgently request that all livestock farmers report any case of sick animals immediately. Signs include extreme nervousness, excessive salivation, unusual aggression, a lack of appetite and in some animals, difficulty walking. All mammals can carry the disease, including humans. In the current cases, officials suspect the disease was transmitted through the saliva of vampire bats which feed on the blood of livestock. If you suspect any of your animals are infected, contact BAHA at Central Farm immediately, isolate the animal and delegate one person to handle the feeding until the authorities arrive. Even though all cases so far have turned up in Cayo, according to Edwards, the other five districts do not have such rigorous surveillance measures in place, so it is possible that a number of other animals might also be infected.