Georgia animal rabies cases have increased for the past four years, and northwest Georgia cases have increased for four of the past five years. Public health officials are urging people to take precautions to reduce their risk of contracting this preventable, but fatal if not treated disease.

Public health officials remind citizens that wild, stray and unvaccinated animals may be infected with rabies and that they should take precautions to protect themselves, their families and their pets. Other precautions include:

· Vaccinate all dogs, cats and ferrets against rabies. Check with your veterinarian to make sure your pets have up-to-date protection against rabies. Remember that the vaccination of pets against rabies protects not only the pets, but also people.

· Don’t leave pet food out where wild animals can access it. Leaving pet food out is a sure way of getting wild animals to visit your home, which endangers you, your family and your pets.

· Remind children to avoid animals they don’t recognize, especially stray or wild animals. These animals may be infected with rabies.

· Keep pets at home. Obey any county laws requiring that dogs be restrained to the owner’s property. Pets that are kept close to home are less likely to encounter a rabid animal.

· Report any raccoon, fox, bat or skunk that is out during the day in a residential area or that is behaving strangely to the local Georgia Department of Natural Resources game and fish division office.

· Report stray dogs and cats and aggressive or sick-appearing animals to the local animal-control office.

· Don’t attempt to assist injured or sick animals without professional help. Even animals which would never bite otherwise can bite when sick or in pain.

· Bats found in sleeping quarters should be captured and tested for rabies even when there is no evidence of a bite wound or contact with the sleeping individuals.

· After-hours calls involving aggressive animals should be directed to 911.

· After-hours calls involving animal bites and their potential for rabies exposure should be directed to 866-PUB-HLTH (866-782-4584).

Rabies is a viral disease of animals most often transmitted when an animal with rabies bites or scratches a person or another animal.

A wild animal that bites or scratches a person should be destroyed and tested for rabies. Take care to avoid damaging the animal’s head, as it’s needed in rabies testing.

Animal-control officials should evaluate any situations that involve pets that scratch or bite a person or another pet.

Residents can visit the Northwest Georgia Public Health website at http://www.nwgapublichealth.org/env/rabies.htm, which contains county-specific animal rabies data for the ten-county Northwest Georgia Public Health district as well as information on rabies precaution and avoidance. Residents can also visit the CDC rabies site at http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/ for additional information.

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