Rye Brook, NY, September 8, 2010 -- The Westchester County Department of Health received confirmation today that the coyote that was killed by police in Rye Brook on Monday was rabid. This is the first confirmed report of a rabid coyote in Westchester.
On Sunday evening, a coyote that was described as ragged and sickly attacked a toddler and her father in Rye Brook. Both were treated at Greenwich Hospital. A Rye Brook teenager who also had contact with the coyote also is being treated.
“If you or a pet may have had contact with this coyote, please contact the Westchester County Department of Health immediately at (914) 813-5000 to assess the need for rabies treatment,’’ said Acting Westchester County Commissioner of Health Dr. Cheryl Archbald. “Anyone bitten by a rabid animal, or having contact with its saliva, will need to receive immediate rabies vaccination.’’
When administered early enough and before symptoms develop, rabies treatment is 100 percent effective. Once symptoms occur, in humans or animals, the disease is fatal.
Unusual behavior may be the first sign of rabies in an animal. A rabid animal may become either abnormally aggressive or unusually tame. It may lose fear of people and become excited and irritable, or, conversely appear particularly passive and lethargic. Staggering and frothing at the mouth are sometimes noted.
Direct contact with wild or stray animals, even baby animals, is always inadvisable. Parents should teach children not to touch unfamiliar animals and to immediately tell an adult if they have been bitten or scratched by an animal. Any physical contact with a wild or unfamiliar animal should be reported to a health care provider. All animal bites or contacts with animals suspected of having rabies must be reported to the Westchester County Department of Health at (914) 813-5000, 24 hours a day.
For more information about rabies and its prevention, residents can call the Rabies Infoline at (914) 813-5010 or visit the Health Department’s website at www.westchestergov.com/health.
