RABIES ALERT: Fox tests positive for rabies after biting cat on Bartley Road
Published 4:59 pm Tuesday, June 6, 2023
According to the Troup County Environmental Health Office of District 4 Public Health, the Georgia Public Health Laboratory has actually verified a fox has actually checked positive for rabies after biting a cat on Bartley Road.
Rabies is an avoidable viral illness of mammals that is frequently spread out through the bite of an animal that is contaminated with the illness. Rabies contaminates the main nerve system, triggering encephalopathy (an illness of the brain) and death. Early signs of the illness consist of fever and headache.
As the illness advances, neurological signs appear and might consist of sleeping disorders, confusion, hallucinations, a small or partial paralysis, hypersalivation and/or trouble swallowing.
All homeowners are motivated to take safety measures to safeguard their households and animals versus rabies by discovering the indications of rabies and immunizing animals.
“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,” said Melinda Knight, District 4 Public Health’s ecological health director. “People should avoid animals acting out of character and report it to animal control or their local environmental health office.”
Treatment and avoidance practices for rabies have actually shown to be almost one hundred percent reliable when started without delay. Please report any bite, scratch or other contact with a wild animal to your regional ecological health workplace.
Chief Troup County Marshal Jorge Olmo Novoa said they reacted to the call and as they showed up on the scene they discovered that the fox had actually been shot however did not bite anybody prior to it was killed.
“This was the first rabies call we’ve had this year but should anyone comes across an animal they suspect to have rabies they should call us or the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) first,” Olmo Novoa said.
“Don’t mess with them, don’t try to catch them, or try to kill it because if people kill it and destroy the head, we can’t test them. When we catch an animal like that, we have to euthanize them and send it to get tested. It’s a pretty lengthy process and very dangerous because if any fluids from the animal gets into an open cut you may or may not know about, you get rabies. So, leave it alone and give us or DNR a call, and we’ll try to be out there as soon as possible to help.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most of rabies cases reported yearly happen in wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats.
“Spring mating season has passed, for the most part, and now is the time of year when animals are out looking for food for their young and teaching their littles ones the ‘ways of the wild,’ such as learning to hunt for food on their own,” said Natalie Shelton, public details officer for District 4 Public Health. “If your pet isn’t up to date on getting a rabies vaccine, now’s the time to get it done, and also to make sure you and your pets keep a healthy distance from wild animals.”
Georgia law needs owned dogs, cats, and ferrets to have a rabies vaccination from a certified vet.
“Keeping up with the required state rabies vaccination law also keeps your pet safe in the event it bites a person,” Knight said. “If your animal bites a human, and you cannot show its rabies vaccine is existing, the law might need a 10-day quarantine for your animal, and even euthanasia so its brain tissue can be taken a look at for indications of rabies.
For more details about rabies, go to the Georgia Division of Public Health at dph.georgia.gov/rabies or the CDC at cdc.gov/rabies. You might likewise get in touch with the Troup County Environmental Health Office at (706) 298-3702.
