FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 5, 2008
Charleston County residents advised to be wary of wild animals
COLUMBIA - Two Mount Pleasant residents who were bitten by a fox are under the care of a physician after the fox tested positive for rabies, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.
"In the Dunes West area, a fox charged and bit a child," said Sue Ferguson of DHEC's Bureau of Environmental Health. "A man who lives nearby rescued the child and was eventually bitten by the fox before calling animal control."
Ferguson said once the rabies virus reaches the brain, the disease is fatal to humans and animals, so the child and the man are receiving preventive inoculations. According to Ferguson, anyone bitten, scratched or otherwise exposed to the saliva of a rabid animal must undergo immediate measures to stop the virus from reaching the brain.
"Avoid wild animals acting tame and tame animals acting wild," Ferguson said. "About 400 South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies every year, with most exposures from being bitten or scratched by a rabid or suspected rabid animal. Wild animals carry the disease most often, but domestic pets can contract rabies as well.
"Therefore, to protect both the pets and their owners, we strongly encourage residents to make sure their pets are regularly vaccinated against the disease. State law requires that all pets be vaccinated against rabies.
"If you think you have been exposed to the rabies virus through a bite, scratch or the saliva of a possibly infected animal, immediately wash the affected area with plenty of soap and water," she said. "Then be sure to get medical attention and report the incident to DHEC."
This is the 12th confirmed rabid animal in Charleston County in 2008. Last year, there were 26 rabid animals confirmed in the county. In 2007, there were 162 confirmed cases of rabies in animals in South Carolina. So far this year, there have been 147 confirmed cases in animals in the state.
For more information about rabies, see DHEC's Web page at: http://www.scdhec.gov/rabies or contact DHEC’s Charleston County Environmental Health office at (843) 202-7020. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web page about rabies can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies.
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For more information:
Adam Myrick - (803) 898-3884
E-mail - myrickar@dhec.sc.gov
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