Rabid raccoon in Columbia puts 2 dogs into quarantine
A raccoon found in Columbia this week has tested positive for rabies. Now two dogs exposed to the animal have been put into quarantine as a precaution.
The raccoon was submitted to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control for testing on Tuesday, where it was confirmed to have the disease. It was found near Parliament Lake Drive and Windsor Lake Boulevard, DHEC said. The residential area is across Alpine Road from Sesquicentennial State Park.
Because of their exposure, the two dogs are required to be quarantined by South Carolina’s Rabies Control Act.
The raccoon is the seventh rabid animal identified in Richland County this year, DHEC said. So far in 2021, there have been 57 confirmed cases of rabies in the state. South Carolina averages 148 cases a year, but last year the state reported an all time high of 168.
In the last five years, Charleston County and Lexington County led the state in rabies in 2020, with 71 and 46 cases respectively, while Richland County reported 23. Raccoons are one of the most common wild animals identified with rabies, along with bats, foxes and skunks.
“Keeping your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination is the easiest way to protect you and your family from this deadly virus,” Terri McCollister, who heads DHEC’s rabies program, said in a statement.
McCollister recommends giving wild animals plenty of space to avoid coming into contact with the disease, and reported sick or injured animals to a wildlife expert rather than touching it yourself. Suspected rabies exposures can be reported to DHEC at (803) 896-0620 during business hours or at (888) 847-0902.
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