Cherokee County Environmental Health Officials announced that they have received confirmation of rabies in a local raccoon.

Glen Gordy of the county environmental health office stated, “We had a positive raccoon notification from the state lab on December 10.”
According to Mr. Gordy, the attack, which occurred on December 7 on Putnam Ferry Road in Woodstock, was to a family dog that was current on its rabies vaccination.

“This is the fifth positive case of rabies found in animals in Cherokee County so far this year,” said Mr. Gordy. The previous cases involved three other raccoons and one fox.

Health officials urge people to avoid all unfamiliar animals and to maintain rabies vaccinations in their animals. If bitten or scratched by a wild or unfamiliar animal, wash the wound with soap and water, then rinse for several minutes. Seek medical attention, immediately, and report the incident to the Cherokee County Environmental Health Office at 770-479-0444 with the following details:
• The geographic location of the incident
• The type of animal that was involved
• How the exposure occurred (provoked or unprovoked)
• The vaccination status of any pets involved
• Whether the aggressive animal can be safely captured and tested for rabies

For more information about rabies, call the Cherokee County Environmental Health Office at 770-479-0444 or log onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov.

Persons who may be exposed to rabies may also call Georgia Poison Control at 1-800 - 222-1222 if other local resources cannot be reached.