A "large number of people" who ate at a Providence, R.I. ice cream shop may have been exposed to rabies.
A calf living in the pasture next to the store is thought to be responsible for the infection, The Providence Journal reported.
The calf, named Oreo spread the infection when he bit an ice cream parlor customer.
The animal was quarantined to see if it would develop rabies, but died a few days later. State departments were not immediately notified of the calf's death.
"Out of an abundance of caution, public health officials are considering that this animal may have died from rabies and are viewing anyone that had contact with the animal's saliva from July 5 through July 21 as potentially at risk for being exposed to rabies, and are recommending that they be evaluated for post-exposure vaccination by public health authorities," The state department said. "Members of the public should note that the calf was removed from direct public contact on July 16, and that only the animal's handlers may have been exposed during the period from July 16 through July 21."
Dr. James V. McDonald, a Health Department physician said when people who may have been exposed the rabies come in for assessment they will be asked if they touched the calf's face or fed it, and if they had any cuts on their hands.
"People usually contract rabies through a bite from an infected animal, but there are other ways that they can be exposed, such as through saliva from an infected animal getting into an open wound or into a person's eye or mouth," officials said.
The first symptoms of rabies are usually flu-like symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.
More advanced symptoms include: "cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, agitation. As the disease progresses, the person may experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia."
