On Tuesday, June 6th our beloved goat Bean died of rabies. We have been working closely with the Albany County Health Department to identify anyone who may have been exposed and to provide accurate and timely information. If you came into contact with Bean (a black adult goat without horns) from May 23 to June 6th you can call the Health Department at 447-4620 to answer any questions and determine whether you should receive treatment. We will keep you updated as we learn more. Thank you for your concern and support.
“Rabies is a disease transmitted when the virus, via saliva, comes in contact with open cuts in the skin or mucus membranes. It isn’t transmitted through petting or touching an animal.
If a rabies infection takes hold, the disease is usually fatal. But rabies deaths are rare in the United States, and usually only occur among people who were not aware they had been exposed to the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The first symptoms of rabies are similar to the flu, including general weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache. There may also be discomfort, or a prickling or itching sensation at the site of the bite, progressing within days to symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion and/or agitation.”
The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center 