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WASHINGTON, DC – A rabid raccoon attacked and bit three people and two pets in the Chevy Chase section of the District this weekend; DC Health officials said Tuesday. The sick raccoon was captured Sunday afternoon in Northwest DC at 32nd Street and Nebraska Avenue NW. Animal Control Officers captured the animal, which was humanely euthanized and tested at the DC Public Health Laboratory.
So far DC Health authorities say that they are exposed to the raccoon and the disease, which can be treated if left untreated. All three people have started receiving post-exposure rabies medicines. The two pets have been evaluated by a veterinarian, given a booster vaccine and confined for monitoring.
Anyone else who may have encountered a call during this time should call DC Health at (202) 442-9143 or email [email protected].
Rabies is most commonly found in bats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks. Each year, the Health of Animal Health Services Program tests hundreds of wild and domestic animals for the disease. Whereas most of the tests are negative, a few animals carrying rabies are found every year, according to a news release.
Rabies is a fatal disease spread from animals to humans. It is caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system, resulting in seizures, paralysis, and eventually death. The virus spreads through the saliva of a rabid animal; humans typically are exposed when a rabid animal cats a person, but scratches and saliva contact with broken skin or in the eyes or mouth) can also spread the virus, health officials said.
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Last year, a total of 194 animals were submitted to D.C. Health for rabies testing. Of the 194, 23 – less than 12 percent – tested positive, of which 20 were raccoons and three were bats. Northwest D.C., especially near Rock Creek Park, WTOP reports.
Rabies Facts:
- Only warm-blooded animals can be affected by rabies
- Dogs and cats can get rabies if they are not vaccinated
- Rabies is rarely seen in rodents such as mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, guinea pigs, hamsters, gold rabbits
- Birds, turtles, lizards, fish, and insects can not get rabies
If preventative treatment is given quickly after a person is exposed to rabies, it is unlikely they will become sick. If treatment is not given quickly, a person infected with rabies will die. This is why it is important to have an aggressive animal, or animal that is acting abnormally, especially if it was a wild animal, DC officials said.
Image via Shutterstock
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