Local county officials and health professionals hope a new animal vaccination resolution adopted by the Barton County Commission Monday morning will help take a bite out of the rabies problem.
The commission approved revisions to the county’s policy dealing with rabies vaccination. Health Director Lily Akings, who led a group in developing suggested changes over the past couple of months, said the new resolution is shorter and easier to understand.
 Under the guidelines, annual vaccinations and licensing would still be required for dogs, cats, ferrets and horses. Observation and testing for animals suspected of rabies is more thoroughly covered, Akings said.
“Rabies is a public health risk,” Akings said. “In our local area, we have a pretty good control of it.”
But, since this is a rural community with regular contact with wildlife, such as bats, the threat will remain, she said. In 2013, there have been 80 reported possible cases, most involving pets.
Rabies is a neurological disease that travels through the nervous system to the brain. It is 100 percent fatal.
Akings said she worked with many partners. These have included hospitals, Barton County Communications, veterinarians, law enforcement county wide and others.
The new resolution parallels state regulations and coincides with Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Centers for Disease Control guidelines. She hopes to work with city councils in the county to get them to adopt similar rules.
“Rabies is here to stay,” said Dr. Mike Malone, a local vet who consulted with Akings on the project. It is important, he said, to be vigilant.
“The only way to control it is to control the (animal) population,” he said. The best way is to require the annual licensing.
“It’s about the health of the human population,” Malone said. But the concerns of everyone involved must be considered.
“We have to control and reduce the risk to the public,” Aking said. But, with each rabies treatment costing hundreds of dollars, they can’t just  vaccinate everyone.