November 15, 2007
OEH Officer Brek Steele.
Marshall wolf attack prompts OEH response
YKHC Public Relations
When one of the wolves that attacked sled dogs in Marshall on Oct. 25 was later found to have rabies, it caused a great deal of concern within the community and brought an immediate response from state officials and YKHC's Office of Environmental Health (OEH).
"One of the major concerns we had was the contact the wolves had made with other dogs prior to the death of the wolf," said Brek Steele, Environmental Health Officer and the Rabies Coordinator for OEH. "I met with tribal officials and made sure the community was aware of the facts and potential heath risks."
If an unvaccinated dog has been bitten or been in contact with a rabid wolf and is not euthanized, a six month quarantine is advised. OEH personnel along with community officials identified and located all the dogs known to have been exposed to the wolves. A quarantine structure separating the animals from the community has been built and utilized.
In Marshall, Steele and OEH Officer Kelsey Hustedt vaccinated 69 dogs and provided rabies education to the community. They also trained a lay vaccinator in the village who has already begun to vaccinate more dogs and cats.
Nearly 60 percent of villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region have trained lay vaccinators who administer vaccinations on a needs-only basis. Vaccinations are requested and sent from Bethel for the lay vaccinators to administer.
Vaccinations are good for three years after the first vaccination. Depending on the number of rabies cases identified in the communities and based on their latest vaccinations, the OEH sets a priority list for vaccinations in villages.
"With 52 villages to provide dog vaccinations for, this is the most logical method to track and serve those villages," said Steele.
Only six wolves have tested positive for the disease in Alaska since 1977. The last confirmed case occurred in 1998 in a wolf from the Dillingham area. The disease is more commonly found in foxes in coastal areas-35 have tested positive for rabies since 2006 along the west coast and North Slope of Alaska.
Dog owners in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta with any questions or concerns about rabies should contact OEH at 1-800-478-6599 or 907-543-6420