_Home_ (http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd) > _News_ (http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/) > _Local_ (http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/) (javascript:win = window.open('http://users.timesdispatch.com/email_to_a_friend/CATT11_20090710-222605/279370?url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/ local/article/CATT11_20090710-222605/279370/','email_article','width=500,hei ght=570,toolbar=yes, directories=yes, status=yes, menubar=yes, scrollbars=yes, resizable=yes'); win.focus();) (javascript:window.print()) (http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php) (http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/rss/cat_local_news/) (http://add.my.yahoo.com/rss?url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/rss/cat_local_news/) 17 people exposed to rabid kitten getting treatment Advertisement (http://ads.mgnetwork.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/timesdispatch.com/news/local/article/CATT11_20090710-222605/279370/index@Right?x) (http://a1.interclick.com/getInPageTarget.aspx?a=54&b=5941&cid=1236034825404) (http://ads.mgnetwork.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/timesdispatch.com/news/local/article/CATT11_20090710-222605/279370/index@Right1?x) (http://ads.mgnetwork.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/timesdispatch.com/news/local/article/CATT11_20090710-222605/279370/index/1319364553/Right2/OasDefa ult/ric_YouthSports_2009_04_06/youth_sports_videos_160x600.html/636462633735 30383439623631623330?http://www.discoverrichmond.com/dis/video_showcase/kids play/) (http://ads.mgnetwork.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/timesdispatch.com/news/local/article/CATT11_20090710-222605/279370/index@Right2?x) (http://ads.mgnetwork.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/timesdispatch.com/news/local/article/CATT11_20090710-222605/279370/index/1946232447/Right3/default /empty.gif/63646263373530383439623631623330) (http://ads.mgnetwork.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/timesdispatch.com/news/local/article/CATT11_20090710- 222605/279370/index@Right3?x) Text size: _small_ (javascript:articleFont('.85em');) | _medium_ (javascript:articleFont('1em');) | _large_ (javascript:articleFont('1.2em');) By _Tammie Smith_ (mailto:tlsmith@timesdispatch.com) Published: July 11, 2009 Nine Hanover County residents are among 17 people in four states getting rabies shots after being exposed to a rabid kitten. A Hanover woman picked up the stray on the way to a vacation with friends and family in Delaware in late June. The 6to 8-week-old kitten was alongside the road on U.S. 13 on the Eastern Shore near the Delaware line. On the way back home, the woman noticed the kitten showing signs of illness, said Marcus Allen, a public health supervisor for the Chickahominy Health District. "We got a call from Hanover County animal control that they were on the way to pick up an animal showing neurological symptoms and having seizures," Allen said. The kitten was sent to the Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services where tests confirmed it had rabies. Health officials at the state central office notified public health officials in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania, where the others who had contact with the kitten live, Allen said. "Although we understand people want to help animals, there is no definite way to tell an animal has rabies just by observing it and its behavior," said Dr. Brooke Rossheim, Chickahominy Health District acting director. "While the intentions were good, there can be significant consequences." Rabid animals are not uncommon in Virginia. Through July 4, there have been 274 laboratory-confirmed cases in the state. Of that number, there were 143 raccoons, 58 skunks, 31 foxes, 20 cats, 10 bats, eight cows, and one each bobcat, dog, groundhog and horse. Treatment for humans after exposure includes one dose of human rabies immune globulin and five rabies-vaccine shots over 28 days. The cost can run $1,500 to $2,000, and insurance generally covers it, Allen said. State records show the last human rabies infection in Virginia was in 2003. Contact Tammie Smith at (804) 649-6572 or _TLsmith@timesdispatch.com_ (mailto:TLsmith@timesdispatch.com) .