By Jessica Coleman -- Daily Staff Writer

The number of reported cases of animal rabies in Virginia is on the rise. In 2007, 730 cases were reported to the Virginia Department of Health, the highest number since 1982, when the department received 745 reports, ac-cording to a press release.

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system and kills most animals and humans that contract it, according to the Health Department.

The trend of increasing rabies incidents in the state is comparable to what has been going on in the Shenandoah Valley over the past few years, said April Jenkins, nurse manager for the Lord Fairfax Health District, which is comprised of Shenandoah, Warren, Frederick, Clarke and Page counties and the city of Winchester. So far this year, the district has received nine confirmed reports of rabies, Jenkins said.

"Based on the number of vaccines we give for post-exposure ... I would agree that our numbers are going up," Jenkins said. "I would say its been a steady increase over the past few years."

She added that residents of the Shenandoah Valley should be on the lookout for wildlife acting strangely, particularly foxes, bats and raccoons, the major carriers in the valley. In cases of human and animal infection, the disease is usually transmitted through a bite because the virus is carried in the saliva. So it is important to report all bites to a local animal control or health department, she said.

"If humans are exposed, typically it's too late once they develop symptoms," Jenkins said of the disease. "We can do preventative approaches like vaccinations, but they still need to report the bite to animal control or the health department because they have no way of knowing if the animal has been vaccinated."

If the disease is detected early in humans, post-exposure vaccinations, a series of five shots, can be administered to try to fight the infection, Jenkins said.

And all pets should stay current on their rabies vaccinations, she added. The Royal Oak Animal Clinic in Front Royal does about one to 10 vaccinations a day, depending on the season, said veterinarian Diana Sullivan, who noted that the subcutaneous shot is "minimally painful."

All cats and dogs should receive their first vaccination by the time they are 4 months old, she said. This first shot is good for a year, at which point the animal will receive the first in a series of vaccinations that have to be repeated every three years. The cost for each shot at the Royal Oak Animal Clinic is $15.

"The only thing that would change the cycle is if they're exposed to a rabid animal," Sullivan said. "Then we'd boost the vaccine."

The problem comes, she said, in determining the source of the bite and whether the attacking animal is rabid. The best way to do this is to safely capture the animal under a box or carton and call animal control. If the biting animal is caught, it can be tested for rabies to determine if it could have transmitted the disease to the pet.

"Unfortunately, most of the bites we see, we don't know if the source was rabid or not," Sullivan said. "If it's an unknown exposure, we recommend a booster and run it by the health department to see if they think it requires a quarantine."

A quarantine for possible rabies exposure can place a pet in total isolation for anywhere from 45 days to six months, depending on how real the threat of rabies is. Sullivan says she sees about three or four cases of rabies quarantines each year, and most of the time the animals come out of the experience with a clean bill of health.

The only other alternative is euthanasia.

To prevent pet owners from making a decision between an extensive and expensive quarantine or putting their animal to sleep, Sullivan said it is extremely important to make sure that all pets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations.

"It's life or death and it's a very simple procedure," Sullivan said. "It's incredible preventative medicine for the pet and the person's health and safety."

Dookers, a 3-year-old beagle owned by Cassie Mulvena, a veterinary technician student at the clinic, got his triennial rabies vaccination last week.

The dog never even whimpered as Sullivan deftly inserted and retracted the syringe in one swift movement.

"It's very important to get it done," Mulvena said while massaging Dookers' ears. "He just gets some treats after and he's OK."

* Contact Jessica Coleman at jcoleman@nvdaily.com