Rabid Raccoon Confirmed in Anderson County; Five Pets Exposed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 26, 2023
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) confirmed that a raccoon found near Blue Ridge Avenue and James Cox Road in Belton, S.C. has tested positive for rabies. No people are known to have been exposed at this time. Five dogs were exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.
The raccoon was submitted to DHEC's laboratory for testing on September 23, 2023, and was confirmed to have rabies on September 25, 2023. If you believe you, someone you know or your pets have come in contact with this raccoon, or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call DHEC's Public Health Anderson office at (864) 372-3270 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays at (888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2).
"To reduce the risk of getting rabies, always give wild and stray animals plenty of space," said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program director. "If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it and contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control operator, or wildlife rehabilitator."
An exposure is defined as direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal. If your pet is found with wounds of unknown origin, please consider that your pet may have been exposed to rabies.
It is important to keep pets up to date on their rabies vaccination, which is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect against the disease. This raccoon is the fifth animal in Anderson County to test positive for rabies in 2023. There have been 65 cases of rabid animals statewide this year. Since 2002, South Carolina has averaged approximately 148 positive cases a year. In 2022, eight of the 83 confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina were in Anderson County.
Contact information for local Public Health offices is available at https://scdhec.gov/RabiesContacts. For more information on rabies visit scdhec.gov/rabies or cdc.gov/rabies.
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