If you’ve been bitten by an animal in Allegheny County, it was probably a dog — or maybe a cat.
Pets were the most commonly reported source of bites from mammals, according to recently released data from the county health department. Of the more than 2,258 bite incidents in Allegheny County in 2021, the department finds that 85% involved these two companion animals.
Humans are more likely to interact with pets than other animals, so it makes sense that these bites are more frequent, says LuAnn Brink, the health department's chief epidemiologist. For example, people may be bitten when playing with a pet or trying to break up a fight between animals.
The good news is that it's extremely rare for pets to have rabies — a deadly virus found in mammals only. When a bite does occur, the health department doesn't take the pet away; instead, owners are asked to watch the dog, cat or, in one case, hamster for signs of illness.
"Just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get sick," said Brink, who also cautions patients to monitor their kids around animals, including domesticated ones.
Only 5% of bite incidents recorded in the report were from wild animals, which are more likely to carry rabies: bats, rats, groundhogs, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits. Depending on the circumstance, a person might need to get the rabies vaccine after a bite incident, though Pennsylvania's last case of rabies in a human occurred in 1984.
The virus is secreted in the saliva and causes a disease that is almost always fatal. Rabies attacks the central nervous system, causing acute inflammation of the brain.
"You should definitely stay away from wild animals," said Brink.
It can take up to 50 days for symptoms to appear, though the disease is 100% preventable if people get treatment before signs of illness appear. Less than 3% of the people bitten by animals in 2021 needed post-exposure rabies care.
Other medical concerns include bacterial infections, such as tetanus, and injuries.
Bites from large dog breeds were overrepresented in the data, which often comes from emergency departments and law enforcement agencies. The report says while big dogs may be more aggressive, the disproportionate number of these bigger pets might be because their bites are more severe.
