Sixth rabies alert posted in White County

CLEVELAND, Ga. – For the sixth time this year, an animal in White County has tested positive for rabies.

A dog recently had contact with a rabid raccoon in the Danny Palmer Road area. The raccoon was shipped to the Georgia Public Health Lab – Virology Section in Decatur. White County Environmental Health was advised Thursday (June 14) that the raccoon tested positive for rabies.

Positive alert signs have been posted in the area where the rabid raccoon was located. If you live in this area and have concerns of rabid animal exposure, please contact White County Environmental Health at 706-348-7698 during normal business hours.

White County Public Safety Director David Murphy said Friday, “This is actually the second positive rabies at this specific address. The first positive rabies alert for this address was also a raccoon that tested positive in November 2017.”

Murphy said in the most recent incident the resident heard a strange noise in the woods which turned out to be a raccoon. The raccoon was under a log, meowing like a cat. The dog started barking and the raccoon came out from under the log and jumped on the dog. The dog killed the raccoon. The dog is currently on its rabies vaccination and will undergo a 45 day quarantine.

Murphy said pet owners should take the following precautions:

• Make sure your pets are current on their rabies vaccinations;
• Stay away from wild animals and keep your pet away from wild animals;
• If you feed your pet outdoors, take up food as soon as your pet is finished eating. Leaving leftover food outside can attract wild animals;
• If you observe any domestic animal acting abnormally – being unusually aggressive, looking ill, not behaving normally, contact Animal Control and/or White County Environmental Health;
• Do not approach the animal or allow your pet to get near the animal;
• If you observe a wild animal not behaving abnormally, contact Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR);
• If your pet is attacked by a wild animal, contact Animal Control and DNR immediately.

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