Thursday, December 17, 2015
Perth County – Over the past couple of weeks, five raccoons have tested positive for rabies in Ontario. Four of these raccoons were in the Hamilton area and the fifth one was in Cayuga, southwest of Hamilton.
This is the first time Ontario has had a positive case of raccoon rabies since September 2005, although cases have continued to show up in bordering New York State. “It’s unfortunate to have cases of raccoon rabies reappearing in Ontario,” says Dale Lyttle, Senior Public Health Inspector.
In response, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has increased its surveillance and wildlife vaccination program, dropping bait in the areas where rabid raccoons were found. The last case of rabies in animals in Perth County was in 2012 in a cat and a bat.
“Raccoon rabies is of particular concern because raccoons are often found living close to people and pets,” says Lyttle. “This is a good opportunity to remind residents to vaccinate their pets against rabies.”
Vaccination is an effective way to stop the spread of the deadly disease and it is the law. In Ontario, all dogs and cats over the age of three months must be vaccinated against rabies.
To protect yourself and your pets from rabies:
- Keep pets up-to-date with their rabies vaccination
- Don’t let your pets run free in the neighbourhood. Supervise your pets at all times
- Prevent pets from coming into contact with wildlife
- Keep your pets indoors at night
- Stay away from any wild animal, dog or cat that you don’t know
- Stay away from animals that are acting strangely (particularly raccoons).
What is Rabies?
The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system and can be spread by infected mammals through their saliva. It is almost always fatal. There are three main ways this occurs:
- Biting or scratching
- Through an open cut, sore or wound
- Through mucous membranes (mouth, nose, eyes).
What to do if there is an exposure
- If you are aware of animal contact with a human (i.e. a dog bite or scratch), you must:
- report it immediately to the Perth District Health Unit at 519-271-7600 ext 252 to determine if there has been an exposure to rabies.
- If a domestic pet has contact with a suspected rabid animal that does not include human contact:
- call the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food-Agriculture information line at 1-877-424-1300.
- If you observe potentially rabid wildlife with no known human or domestic animal contact:
- call the MNRF Rabies hotline at 1-888-574-6656.
For more information:
- Call Health Line at 519-271-7600 ext 267 or toll-free at 1-877-271-7348 ext 267
- Visit pdhu.on.ca
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