Fox attacks in Triad mark beginning of North Carolina rabies season; here’s what you should know

(WGHP) — Summer is now well underway in the Piedmont Triad, and many people and critters are out and about enjoying the warm weather — but that also means it’s rabies season in North Carolina .

After two people were attacked by a rabid fox in Winston-Salem this week, Forsyth County Department of Public Health workers spoke to the public about what to do if you encounter a rabid animal.

“Be aware of your surroundings when you’re out with your pets,” Charles Cahill, an environmental health specialist supervisor, said.

Make sure to always keep an eye out for any wild animals behaving strangely. Keep your distance and call the NC Wildlife Resources Commission at (866) 318-2401 if you see an animal that seems partially paralyzed or is erratic, jittery, aggressive, agitated, wobbly or drooling excessively.

“A lot of times, people will say an animal acts like it’s drunk. It staggers, stumbles,” said Maureen Rimer, a public health nurse with the FCDPH. “Sometimes, we see them being aggressive, not afraid of people. Those are the biggies. It’s a neurological condition, so it affects the brain, the nerves.”

The most common animals that carry rabies in NC are raccoons, foxes, skunks and bats. Wildlife officials have also seen deer, coyotes and bobcats with the disease.

So far this year, a total of 43 positive cases have been reported in the Piedmont Triad, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Guilford County and Randolph County had the most cases at 11 each.

Caswell, Rockingham and Surry counties had the fewest cases at one each.

The majority of the rabid animals were either raccoons, foxes or skunks. However, a horse tested positive in Davidson County, two cats tested positive in Guilford County and one bobcat and one coyote tested positive in Montgomery County.

Treatment

“You do not want to have symptoms of rabies. If you have symptoms of rabies, it’s fatal. It’s too late. There is nothing you can do about it,” Rimer said.

Fortunately, treating rabies in animals is not a complicated matter. The State of NC requires all dogs, cats and ferrets to stay current with their rabies vaccinations. This applies to dogs, cats and ferrets visiting from out of state as well.

Rabies vaccines can only be given by a veterinarian or a worker certified to give a rabies vaccination, according to the FCDPH.

A dog, cat or ferret is not considered currently vaccinated and protected against rabies exposure until 28 days after the initial vaccination.

If a wild animal bites your pet, call a veterinarian immediately and call your local animal services agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood since they could be unvaccinated and infected.

If you have any questions, you can call an NDHHS public health veterinarian 24/7 at 919-733-3419

For humans, treatment is also very simple.

“We vaccinate our animals to prevent rabies, but we don’t vaccinate people routinely for rabies … It is a series of five shots,” Rimer said.

The first shot puts immunoglobulin in the body to help fight infection. The second shot is a vaccine that prompts the body to make antibodies. Three additional vaccines then follow to strengthen the body’s response to the rabies virus.

Rimer says the shots are administered on days 0, 3, 7 and 14.

People “can get those through an emergency room” or some Urgent Care facilities, Rimer said.

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