What should you know about rabies and birds?

Birds are not the usual source of rabies. Touching, feeding or being near a bird is not the same as exposure to saliva from an infected mammal. Risk assessment changes if a mammal also bit, scratched or licked broken skin, the eyes or the mouth during the incident. Do not wait for symptoms to decide what to do: rabies prevention works best when assessed promptly after a genuine exposure.

Wash a bite or scratch immediately with plenty of soap and running water, without scrubbing deeply. Avoid sealing the wound before it has been assessed. Contact urgent medical care and describe the animal, the contact, the wound and when it happened. A clinician may recommend rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, which can include wound care, vaccine and other treatment according to the exposure.

Seek urgent assessment after any bite, scratch or saliva contact from a mammal that could carry rabies, especially when the animal is stray, unavailable for observation or behaving unusually. Go to emergency care for a deep wound, heavy bleeding, injury near the eye or face, or signs of infection. Rabies vaccination may be discussed for prevention in selected circumstances.

Ask whether the contact qualifies as an exposure, whether vaccination or post-exposure treatment is needed, how to care for the wound, and which symptoms of infection should prompt review.