- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
Health officials warn residents to be wary, take precautions
Jasper, GA – A rabid raccoon recently attacked a woman as she was getting into her car in the Bent Tree Community of Jasper, Georgia.
On the morning of February 22nd, the woman had walked from her house to her car, when the raccoon came out from underneath the vehicle and started biting her leg. The woman kicked the raccoon in the head, stunning it. She was then aided by the property security guard in killing the aggressive animal.
Pickens County Environmental Health officials submitted the raccoon to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing and the positive results were obtained the following day, February 23rd.
The bitten woman began anti-rabies treatments at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital on the evening of February 23rd.
Residents of the Bent Tree Community and all areas of Pickens County should be aware of wild animals behaving aggressively or appearing to be sick. A number of wild animal species can contract rabies such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and bats.
Stray dogs and cats should also be avoided and children should be educated on these facts about rabies:
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Have all your unvaccinated pets vaccinated against rabies by your local veterinarian and make sure your pets stay current on rabies vaccinations.
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Unvaccinated pets exposed to rabies must either be destroyed or placed in strict quarantine for six months.
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It is strongly recommended that valuable livestock animals having contact with humans be vaccinated against rabies.
For questions about rabies or to report a potentially rabid animal, call the Pickens County Environmental Health Office at (706) 253-0900 or Pickens County Animal Control at (706) 253-8988. If reporting a case during times when these offices are closed, call 911.
- Hits: 5187
- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
Prepare your child for the upcoming school year!
Pickens County Health Department presents
Pre-K Registration HEALTH CLINIC on Tuesday, February 14th from 1 to 6 p.m.
AND
Kindergarten Registration HEALTH CLINIC on Tuesday, March 21st from 1 to 6 p.m.
The Pickens County Health Department is located at 60 Health Way in Jasper.
These clinics are the One-Stop Spot for school students’ state health requirements. The clinics offer required Hearing, Dental, Vision and BMI/Nutrition Screenings and provide Immunizations for school-age children. The clinics accept Medicaid (including AmeriGroup, PeachState and WellCare) and PeachCare for Kids. For more information or to check on additional insurances accepted, please call (706) 253-2821.
- Hits: 3145
- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
Health officials urge residents to vaccinate their animals
Dalton (GA) – A Whitfield County resident observed stray dogs interacting with a skunk on Boyles Mill Road in the northeast section of the county on Monday, December 12 and contacted officials the next day after seeing a media report about rabies in the area. The resident was not close enough to the stray dogs to give a specific description.
Whitfield Animal Control responded to the call and found a dead skunk in about the same location. Since the skunk almost certainly had contact with the stray dogs, it was shipped to the Georgia State Public Health Laboratory, which confirmed on Wednesday, December 14 that the skunk had rabies.
There was no human exposure to rabies reported in this incident.
Residents in the northern parts of Whitfield and Murray Counties are strongly advised to be aware of wild mammals behaving aggressively, appearing sick or otherwise behaving in an abnormal manner. Children should be taught to avoid stray dogs, cats and wild mammals.
Pet owners should make sure their cats and dogs are currently vaccinated against rabies. When rabid wild animals come near a home, pets usually have first contact with them. So when pets are vaccinated against rabies, pet owners and their families are also better protected. Unvaccinated dogs or cats that have been bitten by a rabid animal are recommended to be destroyed or placed in very strict quarantine for six months.
Persons who own livestock in these areas should have farm animals with which they have close contact vaccinated against rabies and be aware that all livestock are susceptible to rabies. A cow in another part of north Georgia was recently found to have rabies resulting in anti-rabies treatments for several persons.
For more information about rabies and its prevention, contact your local Environmental Health office (contact information is at www.nghd.org) or log onto www.cdc.gov/rabies.
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