By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun
More than 35 people have been referred for rabies post-exposure treatment following last week’s announcement about a rabid puppy at a rescue adoption event. But Colorado has so far identified no human cases as a result of the event, as state health officials continue to plead with those who were at the event to come forward for screening.
Rabies is almost universally fatal once symptoms appear, making this perhaps the most urgent public health response in Colorado since the early days of the COVID pandemic. The disease can be prevented after exposure if those exposed are treated before symptoms occur.
A spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Wednesday that the state has assessed more than 115 people to determine if they had contact with the puppy that could have spread the rabies virus to them. The more than 35 people referred for what is known as post-exposure prophylaxis came from that group.