15 Rabies Cases Confirmed in Hall County

Photo courtesy: Loomcom.com

GAINESVILLE -- Hall County is dealing with a record number of rabies cases.

In a typical year, one to three is average for most rural counties in Georgia, but in the past four months, Hall County has had 15 confirmed reports – the latest just last Friday.

Now authorities there are bracing for what could be a historically bad summer for rabies.

With 15 cases already confirmed since January, officials are worried there will be even more cases in the coming months as the weather gets warmer. That’s when the main carriers of the disease are more active.

“You know you worry about fox, raccoons, bobcats and skunks, things like that. And bats. Most people don’t even think about bats,” explained Hall County Humane Society manager Rick Aiken. “Any warm-blooded animal can get rabies and rabies is always 100% fatal,” he said.

After the initial ten rabies cases were reported in Hall County, the Humane Society responded by offering a low-cost rabies clinic in March.

Over 400 pet owners turned out to have their animals vaccinated, but many had to be turned away. With another five rabies cases reported since then, Aiken says they’re planning another rabies clinic on April 19th.

“Normally we have three, maybe four during the summer and they usually don’t start until May. But with all these cases we decided we needed to get on this and go ahead and get the animals vaccinated for their protection and for the humans’ protection,” Aiken said.

In addition to making sure pets are vaccinated, officials are also warning people to avoid feeding wildlife or leaving pet food out at night.

While there have been no reports of humans contracting rabies in Hall County, District Two Health, which covers 13 Northeast Georgia counties, reports a Banks County man was bitten by a rabid dog last month.

However, the victim was able to get the series of shots in time and has since recovered.

District Two Health spokesman Cail Collins advises that if bitten by an animal believed to be a rabies carrier, or even just looks sick, one should immediately contact the local health department and seek medical attention.

Fox that bit women in Columbia County had rabies

State officials have confirmed that a fox which bit two women had rabies.

The women, ages 67 and 72, will now have to undergo a series of rabies shots.

The fox bit the women on the ankles on Tuesday after it lunged at them outside a home in Martinez.

It's the eighth confirmed case of rabies in animals in Columbia County so far this year, up from five last year.

Officials are especially worried because foxes are appearing more in residential areas.

"Usually the animals we have with are coming in contact with people's pets, and those are normally raccoons," says Linda Fulmer, the animal control director in Columbia County. "Foxes are not common to come up with this kind of behavior, so of course it is alarming."

The Georgia Veterinary Association says the number of rabies cases is up 60 percent this year from this time last year.

They say their unsure if outbreaks are more prevalent, or if there's more awareness about the disease.

Officials urge people to keep their pets' vaccinations up to date.

They also say to call your local animal control office if you see an animal behaving strangely.

Health officials: rabies cases up 60% in '08

The Georgia Veterinary Medical Association says two hundred and fifteen animals were reported with the disease in the first half of this year. That’s up from one hundred and thirty four cases in 2007.

But officials aren’t sure if the rise is from greater outbreaks of the disease, or better reporting.

Dr. Dana Cole is a GVMA member and a Georgia Division of Public Health veterinarian:

"We have seen the number of rabid animals reported to the Georgia Division of Public Health undergo a cycle, but this year is already worse than last."

Cole says rabies cases in Hall County in northern Georgia tripled this year, and says that raccoons and skunks figure high on the reports:

"They tend to come from the northern part of the state. That’s partly a function of population because it’s less rural so there’s more opportunities to contact wildlife, and also because of the natural habitat there."

Health officials add that the number of positive cases has fluctuated between 200 to 500 annually.

While stockpiles of human rabies vaccine are low, the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta says more vaccine should be available by October, according to a GVMA statement.

Officials call on the public to vaccinate pets and livestock, avoid contact with wild animals and get medical attention immediately after exposure to or being bitten by any unfamiliar animal.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of rabies outbreaks in Georgia.

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