Four More Confirmed Cases of Rabies in Franklin County

Four more cases of rabid wildlife have been confirmed in Franklin County, according to Franklin County Environmental Health Director Louis Korff.  Korff said Thursday most of the cases have been in the Carnesville area.

“There have been four incidences of rabid raccoons right in the Carnesville area,” Korff said. “Now, none of the raccoons had contact with humans, but they did exhibit the clinical signs of rabies and were destroyed by local law enforcement.” 

However,  Korff said this week, a rabid raccoon did tangle with some dogs just  outside of Carnesville.

“Unfortunately, we had a raccoon incident that did come in contact with dogs,” he said. “Some (dogs) were vaccinated (against rabies), some were not. The carcass of the raccoon was sent off to be tested and it came back positive for the rabies virus.”

By law, any dog or cat or livestock that comes in contact with a rabid animal must be quarantined for 45 days if the owner can produce proof the animal has had a current rabies vaccine.

But in this incident, Korff said one of the dogs had not been vaccinated.

“The dogs that were up to date on their vaccinations were given a booster shot and put on a 45-day quarantine,” he said. “The dog that did not have a rabies vaccine was euthanized. That’s a stark reminder that the difference between having your pets and losing them to euthanasia is a simple, $5 rabies vaccine.”

The Franklin County Health Department is sponsoring the next rabies clinic.

Three area veterinarians will be at multiple locations throughout the county the afternoon of  Saturday, May 17 order to give every pet owner an opportunity to make sure their pets are protected.

For a list of times and locations for the next rabies clinic, check with any one of the county animal hospitals or stop by the Franklin County Health Department on SR 145 in Carnesville.