After five recent cases of rabies in Boston raccoons, pet owners are being warned to be on high alert.
Boston's Animal Care and Control division issued a warning Friday on Facebook, saying that a raccoon found near Hillside Avenue in the city's Mission Hill neighborhood had tested positive for rabies on Aug. 14. It was the fifth raccoon to have tested positive for rabies recently, the agency said. Three rabid raccoons were picked up in Jamaica Plain and one in Roslindale.
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So far, city officials said there have been no reports of rabies exposures or injuries in humans or pets related to interactions with any of the rabid raccoons.
"Rabies is a serious virus that can be transmitted due to exposure from an infected animal, the disease can be treated by receiving prompt medical attention after exposure," the city's animal control division said. "An exposure is any bite, scratch or other situation in which saliva or nervous tissue from a potentially rabid animal enters an open or fresh wound, abrasion or break in the skin, or comes in contact with a mucous membrane by entering the eye, nose or mouth. Rabies in people is preventable with prompt appropriate medical care."
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They offered the following tips to keep residents and pets safe from rabies:
- Avoid and report wildlife that is behaving strangely or that appears sick or injured
- Keep pets up to date on their rabies vaccination
- Supervise pets when they are outdoors
- Seek medical care right away if you are bitten or scratched by an animal
- Seek care for your pet right away if they are scratched or bitten by a raccoon or other potentially rabid animal
- Do not attempt to touch or feed wild animals
Click here for more frequently asked questions about rabies.
Boston Animal Care and Control is holding two free rabies vaccination clinics for dogs and cats. The pet vaccine clinics will be held at BCYF Curtis Hall Community Center on Sept. 16, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and at BCYF Tobin Community Center on Sept. 30, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, email: animalcontrol@boston.gov.
Anyone who believes they might have been exposed to rabies is urged to contact their health care provider or the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5611. Those with concerns about sick, injured or oddly behaving wild animals are asked to call Boston Animal Care and Control at 617-635-5348.
