Georgia Mountain News

Habersham County Animal Care and Control (HCACC) receives conformation of positive rabies case.

On Tuesday December 27th, 2022, Habersham County Animal Care and Control was notified via phone of a stray kitten which had shown up at a residence on North Street in Clarkesville. It was report that the animal was “stumbling around” and when the resident had attempted to cover it with a blanket it “attacked the blanket”.

Habersham County Animal Control Officer Emily Harrison responded to the address and was able to locate and capture the animal. The kitten was transported to animal shelter where it was evaluated. Due to symptoms and behaviors observed the decision to euthanize was made. The animal was humanely euthanized and was sent to the health department for rabies testing. Results that confirmed a positive specimen were obtained Thursday afternoon.

Prior to obtaining the results it was discovered that a canine at the residence had consumed some food that had been placed out for the kitten. The canine had a current rabies vaccination and received a booster vaccine directly after results of a positive specimen had been obtained. The canine has been placed in a home observation for 45 days as a precaution.

This marks the 6TH Positive Case of rabies in Habersham this calendar year.

The previous cases in 2022 were as follows:

 Col Hugh Rd in Clarkesville: Cat

 Thornbriar way in Mt. Airy: Skunk

Hwy 17 in Clarkesville: Racoon

 Ivy Hills in Mt. Airy: Skunk

Family Ties Lane in Demorest: Skunk

“This is a reminder to check that your pet’s vaccinations are current. Dogs and cats who receive an initial rabies vaccination are not considered immunized until 28 days after the vaccine has been administered, therefore it is strongly recommended that any animal newly vaccinated or those too young to receive the vaccine (less than three months) not be left outdoors unattended.” Says Madi Nix HCACC Director. 

In addition to vaccinating your pets for rabies, there are several things residents can do to protect themselves and their pets: 

• Avoid wildlife and animals you do not know. 

• Do not allow your pet to roam; it can come in contact with rabid wildlife. 

• Never feed or touch wild animals, especially bats, skunks, raccoons, or foxes. 

• Seek medical attention immediately if bitten or exposed to saliva of a wild animal. 

• Contact your veterinarian if your pet was exposed to a bat, raccoon, skunk, or other wild carnivore. 

• Do not encourage the feeding of unmanaged cat colonies. If you do feed cats, ensure they are part of a TNR colony and have been vaccinated for rabies. 

To learn more about HCACC, visit https://www.habershamga.com/animal-control.cfm. 

To learn more about the rabies virus visit https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html

Original source can be found here.