NEWS FEEDS
County seeing rabies cases
CANTON — After having disappeared for several years, rabies is again surfacing in St. Lawrence County.
A raccoon from the town of Hammond tested positive for the disease May 20, Public Health Director Deborah M. Kent said.
"There was no human contact, but we decided we should send it for surveillance, and it came back positive," she said.
Public Health records show that 60 people were treated for post-rabies exposure last year after contact with bats and other animals that might have been infected. Mrs. Kent said people should be wary of aggressive or strange-acting animals.
Two skunks and six bats tested positive for the disease last year, the first time since 2004 that health officials found any animals with rabies in the county, said Rebecca A. Trejos, Public Health's communicable disease coordinator.
"This is the normal progression of rabies," she said. "It peaks, then it dies off. It never goes away completely. Once you've had it in a county you're never rid of it."
Rabies hit its peak in St. Lawrence County in the 1990s. There were 116 raccoons, 22 skunks, one dog and eight bats reported as having rabies in 1998, according to state Health Department records. The number dropped to six skunks, seven raccoons, 13 bats and one woodchuck in 2000 and has steadily declined since.
"You have huge numbers, then the animals die off. A few survive, pass it on and hibernate, and you still get cases, but the numbers are much lower after that," Mrs. Trejos said.
She said Public Health surveillance and wildlife vaccination activities by the U.S. Department of Agriculture help control the disease's spread, making it unlikely that the numbers will again reach 1990s levels.
Public Health officials say pet owners also can help prevent the disease by having their animals vaccinated for rabies. The department will hold rabies vaccination clinics from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Massena Village Garage and June 18 at the county's Human Services Center, Route 310. The suggested donation is $5 to offset the cost.
Dogs and cats must be at least three months old to be vaccinated, and a shot is good for three years. Ferrets should be vaccinated annually. Dogs must be on a leash, and cats may be brought in an animal carrier or a pillowcase.
Rabies prevention information can be found online.
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St. Lawrence County
Public Health:
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