Cook Co. Hopes to Curb Growing Rabies Threat

Pet owners from all over Cook County brought their cats, dogs and ferrets to the Morton Grove Civic Center parking lot last week for a rabies and micro-chipping clinic. What many of those owners learned was that they were not just protecting their pets from rabies, they were protecting themselves from a growing rabies threat here in Illinois.

What is rabies? Remember the scenes in Old Yeller when the family dog saves the family from a rabid wolf, only to succumb to the disease himself? It is defined by American Heritage Dictionary as: "an acute, infectious, often fatal viral disease of most warm-blooded animals ... that attacks the central nervous system and is transmitted by the bite of infected animals."

Related: A photo gallery of pets showing up for their shots.

According to Dr. Donna Alexander, the director of The Cook County Rabies and Animal Control, her office has been reaching out to communities in need of rabies vaccines. These are communities where cats, dogs and ferrets come in through city or village animal control officers and they do not have current rabies shots or microchips, which help reunite pets with their owners. That is why the department is offering these clinics at a reduced rate.

Alexander wanted to make clear that these clinics are not a substitute for regular veterinarian care. They also can provide information for those in need of low cost veterinarian care clinics in Cook County.

A growing threat

Rabies is a growing health threat in Illinois and the Cook county area in particular. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health in 1999 there were 10 reported cases of rabies in Illinois, half of those in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. In 2010 there were 117 reported cases of rabies, 30 in Cook, Will and DuPage counties, along with 13 cases in Lake county where none had been reported in 1999. 

This statistic was alarming to Alexander, who wanted to point out many cat owners are unaware their cats, even indoor ones, can become infected. 

"The cats bring the little brown bats to their owners in the house, where they catch them. The bats can get in a one inch hole and many are living in our attics within Cook county. These are not outdoor cats, and many owners do not think they need to get them inoculated because of that. This poses a health threat to the people who own these indoor cats."

The numbers

Alexander is hopeful that these rabies clinics will have an affect. "We have already vaccinated over 2,000 this summer. Our goal for the summer is 4,000. I'm sure we will top it."    

In Morton Grove last week the numbers were:

15 cats vaccinated

82 dogs vaccinated

2 ferrets vaccinated

23 microchips purchased

32 Morton Grove residents in attendance

More information

The Rabies and Animal Control office will continue its rabies and micro-chipping clinics throughout the summer and into fall at facilities that allow animals. Information about future clinics can be found at here.

Morton Grove Animal Control Officer McMillon and police officer McCloskey were on hand to talk with residents, answer questions and get the message out about pet ordinances and village pet licenses. The licenses are available at village hall for $10 if the pet is spayed/neutered and micro-chipped or $25 if the pet does not have both of those requirements.

Keep up with the latest news and discussions by "liking" Morton Grove Patch's Facebook page