Two cases have been confirmed in areas just north of Bexar County.
SAN ANTONIO — Two confirmed cases of rabies have been found in our area, less than an hour apart from each other.
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system and is typically transmitted through a bite. So how do you know if an animal is rabid?
“We know that typically wildlife wants to avoid humans. So it’s definitely when they start acting strange or they are definitely confrontational or coming towards you, that is definitely some of the key signs that an animal might be sick or rabid,” said Chris Shadrock, the City of Boerne Director of Communications.
Both rabies cases were found just an hour apart from each other.
Officials say one confirmed case was in a feral cat in Comal County.
The second was found in a raccoon in the Boerne City Lake area, and was picked up by Animal Care Services June 7 after park visitors reported it behaving unusually.
If you come across a rabid animal like that, what should you do?
“The most important thing to do is, of course, separate yourself from that animal, go inside your vehicle and your house, you know, get a barrier between you and then call the proper authorities,” Shadrock said.
And if you’re bitten or scratched by a rabid animal, Dr. Sebrina Perkins, from CHRISTUS Health told us, “The issue is more trying to prevent it. Because once we have symptoms, the likelihood of survival is extremely low.”
“The CDC says about 4,000 animal rabies cases are reported each year in the U.S. More than 90% of the cases are found in wildlife like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. This is a change from the 1960s, when mainly dogs represented the majority of rabies cases.” Shadrock added, “It’s definitely important that your pets at home are vaccinated against rabies to provide them the greatest chance of survival if they’re bitten or exposed to rabies.”
If you want to keep up with rabies cases in south Texas the CDC has a National Rabies Surveillance System to do so.