BREAKING NEWS: Raccoon in Spotsylvania County tested positive for rabies
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Editor’s Note: The following press release is from the Virginia Department of Health. The Advance will have more on this as information becomes available.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Rappahannock Area Health District has received confirmation that a raccoon in Spotsylvania County tested positive for rabies. The raccoon was found near the 7000 block of Stubbs Bridge Road.
Anyone who may have had contact with this raccoon should seek immediate medical care and contact the Spotsylvania County Health Department at 540-507-7386. Likewise, if your pet was exposed to this rabid raccoon or any potentially rabid animal, please consult your veterinarian promptly and contact the Health Department or Spotsylvania County Animal Control at 540-507-7549.Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. Rabies can be prevented in cats, dogs, ferrets and some livestock with a rabies vaccination. Rabies kills almost any mammal or human that gets sick from it. The rabies virus is mainly in the saliva and brain tissue of rabid animals. It can be transmitted through a bite or by getting saliva or brain tissue in a wound or in the eye or mouth.
Please visit the Rabies Fact sheet at: www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-sheets/rabies/.
Steps to Stop the Spread of Rabies
To protect pets and their owners from rabies, Virginia law requires that all dogs and cats four months of age and older be vaccinated for rabies by a licensed veterinarian, and that vaccinations be kept current.
To help prevent the spread of rabies, the health department urges everyone to:
· AVOID contact with wild animals and domestic animals you do not know.
· REPORT animal bites and unusual acting animals to Spotsylvania County Animal Control at 540-507-7549.
· VACCINATE all your dogs, cats and ferrets and keep their vaccinations current. State law requires all dogs and cats over the age of four months to be vaccinated.
· CALL your doctor and the local health department if you are exposed, or your veterinarian and local animal control if your pet is exposed.
For more information, visit the Rappahannock Area Health District rabies control page.
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