Raccoon in Spalding County tests positive for rabies

A raccoon has tested positive for rabies after biting a woman on July 11 during an incident on Vaughn Road in western Spalding County, the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory has confirmed.

The raccoon bit the woman after she discovered her dog fighting with it, said Kelly Wilson, Spalding County’s environmental health manager.

Wilson said this is the second rabies case reported in Spalding County this year. In early June, a stray cat tested positive for rabies after biting and scratching a woman who was trying to help the cat as it was having kittens. That encounter occurred on W. Cherry St. in Griffin.

Wilson said she urges everyone to take necessary precautions to protect themselves, their families, and their pets from contracting rabies, a deadly preventable virus that spreads most often through the bite of an infected animal. Though less common, the virus also can spread when infectious saliva comes in contact with a scratch or open wound (potentially through licking) or in contact with the eyes, nose and mouth.

The two best ways to avoid rabies exposure is to stay away from unfamiliar dogs, cats, and wild animals, and to make sure your pets are current with their rabies vaccinations. Georgia law requires owned dogs, cats, and ferrets to have a current rabies vaccination from a licensed veterinarian.

Vaccination protects your pet from a deadly disease—one they could pass to you, your family members, and other pets. It also protects your pet in case it bites a person, said Seth Woodrow, environmental health director for District 4 Public Health.

“If your pet bites someone and you can’t prove its rabies vaccines is current, the law may require at least a 10-day quarantine for your pet, or even euthanasia so its brain tissue can be examined for signs of rabies,” he said.

Woodrow said he urges people to stay away from wild or stray animals that appear unafraid of humans and those that exhibit behaviors unusual of their character. Raccoons are the most common wild animals that contract and pass on rabies, comprising about 35 percent of all animal rabies cases in the U.S. Skunks, coyotes, foxes, bats and feral cats also are known transmitters of the disease. Opossums and rodents are less likely to have rabies but could still pose a threat.

“If you notice a wild or nocturnal animal moving about in the daytime, and the animal appears to show no fear of people, or the animal seems to behave in a sick or abnormal way, the animal may be infected with rabies,” Woodrow said. “Therefore, people should avoid the animal and report it to the local health department or animal control.”

Whether the animal looks healthy or sick, don’t approach it. If it appears to be sick, overly aggressive, or out of character, report it to your local Animal Control, or the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division at (800) 366-2661.

Report any direct contact with your pet or with a human to Animal Control or the Spalding County Environmental Health Office at (770) 467-4230. Treatment and prevention practices for rabies in humans have proven to be almost 100 percent effective when initiated promptly.

For more information about rabies, please contact your local animal control office, county environmental health office, or visit cdc.gov/rabies.

MORE ABOUT RABIES

Rabies infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy (a disease of the brain) and, ultimately, death. Early symptoms of the disease include fever and headache. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia, confusion, hallucinations, a slight or partial paralysis, hyper salivation, and/or difficulty swallowing.

Several behavioral and physical signs can be possible indicators of rabies in wild animals. Abnormal behaviors might include erratic movements, shaking, stumbling, moving sluggishly or lethargically, or acting aggressive towards people or pets. Other signs can include looking agitated or disturbed, repeated high-pitched vocalization, nervous for unknown reasons, partial paralysis, discharge from the mouth and eyes, or self-mutilation (biting itself).

Even though rabies should always be considered, remember that when wild animals are tending to their young, sometimes their protective behaviors can be mistaken for rabies signs and symptoms. They may venture out more during the daytime to find food when they normally are nocturnal, for instance, and they may appear bold and aggressive because they’re afraid or they think their babies may be in danger.

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