Rabid Skunk Confirmed in Laurens County; Four Pets Exposed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 29, 2024

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed that a skunk found near Graden and Calf Barn roads in Ware Shoals, S.C., has tested positive for rabies. No people are known to have been exposed at this time. Four dogs were exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.

The skunk was submitted to DPH's laboratory for testing on Oct. 25, 2024, and was confirmed to have rabies on Oct. 28, 2024. If you believe you, someone you know, or your pets have come in contact with this skunk or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call DPH's Greenwood office at (864) 942-3600 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays at (888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2).

“Keeping your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination is the easiest way to protect you and your family from this deadly virus,” said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program director. “Any mammal has the ability to carry and transmit the disease to people or pets. Therefore, give wild and stray animals plenty of space.”

In South Carolina, rabies is most often found in wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but pets are just as susceptible to the virus. If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it. Contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control officer, or a wildlife rehabilitator. An exposure is defined as direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal.

This skunk is the third animal in Laurens County to test positive for rabies in 2024. There have been 68 cases of rabid animals statewide this year. Since 2002, South Carolina has averaged approximately 148 positive cases a year. In 2023, one of the 78 confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina was in Laurens County.

Contact information for local Public Health offices is available at dph.sc.gov/RabiesContacts. For more information on rabies visit dph.sc.gov/rabies or cdc.gov/rabies.

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