Human Health Concerns in the Practice of Wildlife Damage Management

This paper describes diseases that are transmissable from animals to human beings. In many cases, the diseases are contracted by direct contact with the animals. However, several of the diseases are associated with vectors rather than with direct animal contact. Wildlife damage control agents or other wildlife professionals often cannot avoid situations that put them at risk. However, disease may be prevented by knowledge of the risk, and by following simple procedures to minimize risk. Risk may be minimized in many cases with knowledge of transmission modes, endemic areas, and specific preventative measures such as avoidance of known sources of infection, proper handling of potentially infected animals or materials, control of reservoirs and vectors, hygiene, thorough cooking of food, and treatment of water. Vaccination, when available, may be warranted where there is a high risk of exposure of personnel to infectious agents. The symptoms, distribution, animal reservoirs, modes of transmission, incubation time, prevention, and control methods of these diseases are discussed. Pages 21-26 in R.E. Masters and J.G. Huggins, eds. Twelfth Great Plains Wildl. Damage Control Workshop. Proc, Published by Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Okla.