Rabies alert issued for area near Epcot
(Photo by Matt Stroshane/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - According to the Department of Health Orange County, a 60-day rabies alert is active for southwest Orange County. The affected area is a 2-mile radius around the intersection of Interstate 4 and Epcot Center Drive.
They say that a cat was confirmed with rabies.
The Department of Health Orange County suggests that those in the area avoid all wild and domestic cats or dogs. If bitten or scratched by a wild animal, please seek medical treatment immediately.
Rabies is a disease of the nervous system. It can cause paralysis and is fatal to warm blooded animals and humans. The virus is spread through saliva. Humans may be infected through a bite wound, scratch, or exposure of a fresh cut to saliva of a rabid animal.
The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies specific immune globulin and rabies immunization. Appropriate treatment started soon after the exposure, will protect an exposed person from the disease.
For more information on rabies, visit the Florida Department of Health website or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
This story was written out of Orlando, Florida.