Rabid otter found in Midlands exposes one person and pets to virus, SC officials say
One person and two dogs were exposed to a rabid otter found in the Midlands, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said Wednesday.
The otter was found Jan. 24, DHEC officials said in a news release. The animal was discovered near Trantham Road and Longtown Road in the Ridgeway area of Kershaw County, according to the release.
The person has been told to seek medical care, health officials said. Further information on the person’s condition was not made available.
The dogs will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Act, according to the release.
On Monday, the otter was taken to DHEC’s lab, which confirmed it had rabies the next day, officials said.
“If you believe that you or someone you know has had contact with or been potentially exposed to this or another suspect animal, please reach out to your local Environmental Affairs office,” DHEC officials said.
Health officials said an exposure is direct contact — possibly through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth — from a bite, scratch, or contact with saliva, body fluids, or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected or possibly infected animal.
This otter is the first animal in Kershaw County to test positive for rabies in 2021, DHEC said. There have been four cases of rabid animals reported in South Carolina through the first 26 days this year.
Otters are found across South Carolina in the river drainages, but the animal most commonly lives in the state’s “coastal marshes and blackwater swamps because of the abundance of food and cover,” the Department of Natural Resources said.
Otters will bite, and “should be enjoyed from a distance,” former Riverbanks Zoo and Garden president Satch Krantz told Columbia Metropolitan Magazine.
Otter attacks are rare, according to a 2011 study which showed 39 documented confrontations since 1875, and a third of those involved rabid otters, outsideonline.com reported. “The fact is, otters don’t want to have anything to do with you. But they’re extremely territorial.”
“Any mammal has the ability to carry and transmit the disease to people or pets. The key to prevention is to stay away from wild and stray animals and keep your pets current on their rabies vaccinations,” DHEC’s Rabies Program Team Leader Terri McCollister said in the release. “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 wildlife rehabilitator.”
DHEC officials said if a pet is found with unknown wounds it could have been exposed to rabies, and the owner should call 803-778-6548 during normal business hours, or 888-847-0902 at other times.
Getting pets vaccinated for rabies is the best way to protect against the disease, DHEC said.
In 2020, 11 of the 168 confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina were in Kershaw County, according to the release. In 2019, only one of 148 confirmed rabies cases was in Kershaw County.
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This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 11:20 AM.
