A Northwest Georgia rabies summit will take place this week to clarity and refine local procedures for reporting, investigating and intervening in animal-bite cases, according to a press release from the Georgia Department of Community Health.

The summit will take place on March 16, 2011, from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Clarence Brown Conference Center at 5450 Highway 20 NE in Cartersville.

According to the release:

Rabies is a deadly viral infection that is mainly spread by infected animals.

Among those invited to participate are veterinarians, hospital infection-control staff, emergency room staff, county animal-control officers, area 911 coordinators, USDA Wildlife Services staff, Georgia DNR staff, public-safety staff, county extension service staff, state public health epidemiology staff and local public health staff from Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk and Walker counties.

The aim is to provide an overview of rabies concerns for northwest Georgia and through group discussions and planning to identify and improve future responses to animal-bite cases.

Participants will separate into local work group to discuss each county’s specific animal-bite reporting-and-investigation procedures and develop a county-specific animal-bite investigation and rabies-prevention plan.

Press Release