Rabies is a viral disease most often transmitted when an animal with the illness bites or scratches a person or another animal. A wild animal that bites or scratches a person should be destroyed and tested for rabies. Take care to avoid damaging the animal's head, as it's needed in rabies testing. Animal-control officials usually evaluate any situations that involve pets that scratch or bite a person or another pet.
Ken Hutchins, environmental health manager, Polk County Health Department, said the number of confirmed cases has increased in southern counties (health district) during the past year. Wildlife with rabies has also been confirmed in adjoining counties – Bartow 3, Chattooga 2, Floyd, 3, Haralson 1 and Paulding 3.
He attributed the increase in these counties, in part, to a new program that involves placing bait containing medicine designed to prevent rabies in wooded or rural areas.
Hutchins and other public health officials encourage people in Northwest Georgia to take precautions and reduce their risk of contracting rabies, which can be fatal if not treated.
Environmental Health Director Tim Allee said that the number of cases of rabies can be reduced by limiting human contact with wild animals and vaccinating domestic pets, especially dogs and cats.
He also asked pet owners to be responsible and not leave pet food outside. Free food can attract raccoons, identified as the number one rabies carrier in northwest Georgia.
Public health officials urge adults to watch children and youth and emphasize the need not to pet or approach any wild or strays. These animals may be infected with rabies.
Other precautions include:
Vaccinate all dogs, cats and ferrets against rabies. Check with your veterinarian to make sure your pets have up-to-date protection against rabies. Remember that the vaccination of pets against rabies protects not only the pets, but more importantly, protects people.
Keep pets at home. Obey any county laws requiring that dogs be restrained to the owner's property. Pets that are kept close to home are less likely to encounter a rabid animal.
Report any raccoon, fox, bat or skunk that is out during the day in a residential area or that is behaving strangely to the local Georgia Department of Natural Resources Game and Fish Division office.
Report stray dogs and cats and aggressive or sick-appearing animals to the local animal-control office.
Don't attempt to assist injured or sick animals without professional help. Even animals which would never bite otherwise can bite when sick or in pain.
Take immediate action if a bat is discovered in the bedroom. If possible, carefully capture it and arranging for the local health department to send it to the state lab for rabies testing. If the bat can't be captured for testing, or if it tests positive for rabies, the individual should receive rabies vaccine - even if there's no evidence of a wound or recollection of direct contact with the bat. A bat's teeth are so small that a potentially dangerous bite can easily go unnoticed.
After-hours calls involving aggressive animals should be directed to 911.
After-hours calls involving animal bites and their potential for rabies exposure should be directed to 866-PUB-HLTH (866-782-4584).
Polk County residents can contact the Environmental Health Office of the Polk County Health Department at 770-749-2270 for a free copy of the informative brochure, "Rabies & Animal Safety."
Residents can visit the Northwest Georgia Public Health website at http://www.nwgapublichealth.org/env/rabies.htm, which contains county-specific animal rabies data for the 10-county Northwest Georgia Public Health district as well as information on rabies precaution and avoidance.
You can also visit the CDC rabies site at http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/ for additional information.
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