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Valerie Serpa, age 10, of Springfield, Oregon for her question:

How do bats get rabies?

Rabies is a dread disease that strikes certain animals and also people. To protect ourselves, we need to know all we can about it. We should know how animals catch it from one another, for the infected victims may be our very own dogs and cats. However, it is nice to know that our pets can be protected    and when they are safe, they cannot infect us with this terrible disease.

Rabies is caused by a virus germ, which is much too small for human eyes to see. It is spread when an infected animal bites another animal or a person. For a long time, most people thought that there were only two ways to spread the terrible disease. The other way could happen when the saliva from an infected animal entered an open wound. Now we know there is a third way, which often spreads the disease among bats.

As we know, great swarms of bats often spend the day roosting in a dark, quiet cave. It seems that the moist cool air in such a cave suits the cruel rabies virus just fine. Bats, other animals and also people may breathe in these viruses when they enter an infected cave. This may be enough to spread the dreadful disease. For though the virus cannot enter the body through whole, healthy skin, it can enter through the soft, moist tissues inside the nose and mouth. When a cave is known to be infected, it is posted with Keep Out signs    and no sensible person would think of going inside.

Some of the bats become infected, just by breathing the virus filled air inside the cave. Others are infected when the virus enters a scratch or open wound. But perhaps most of the victims are struck when they are bitten by bats that are already infected. This is likely because of what rabies does to its unlucky victims.

The cruel virus attacks the brain and nervous system. It drives the poor suffering victim right out of his mind. In his agony, he attacks and bites every animal or person in his path. And every bite can infect another victim. Most of the disease spreaders are toothy mammals, such as bats and raccoons, and the cat and dog type animals. Though the tooth¬less birds can be infected, they do not spread the disease.

Through the summer season, rangers keep a close eye on the wild animals and take steps to stop the spread of an outbreak of rabies. But it's up to us to protect our pets from the cruel disease. We take them to their animal doctor for their anti rabies vaccination. He will tell us if and when another injection is needed. This simple little thing can save not only your pet's life    but also your own.

There is no anti rabies shot to protect people. And treating people who get the dreadful virus is very painful and it takes a very long time. We can protect ourselves by protecting our pets and by avoiding wild animals that seem to be acting in a frantic fashion. And naturally we refuse to enter caves where infected bats are known to live.

 

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