Rabies investigations in Hastings and Prince Edward were up in 2018.
The Hastings and Prince Edward Board of Health heard from Public Health Inspector Kimberley Craig on Wednesday that there were 553 animal biting or scratching investigations.
Public Health Inspector Kimberley Craig
This number has been on the rise since 2016 (477, and in 2017 there were 512 investigations) and Craig says there are a number of things that could contribute to the uptick in investigations.
There were 26 people treated last year for post-exposure to the rabies virus, which is fatal to humans.
Dogs and cats were the most investigated animals last year totalling 90.2%. Bats, small rodents, raccoons, squirrels, groundhogs, beavers, ferrets, horses, opossums, pigs and skunks made up the remaining cases.
Hastings County and Belleville were the two communities with the greatest number of investigations at 154 and 153 respectively, followed by Quinte West (110) and Prince Edward County (87).
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Piotr Oglaza says rabies isn’t the only thing they are concerned about when a rabies investigation is underway.
He says another thing those in the medical profession are worried about is infection, which can happen any time the skin is broken.
Craig reminded the board, the rabies vaccine is legally required for cats, dogs and a new family pet.
Sometime this year, the annual rabies vaccine will be phased out says Craig and a new three-year vaccine will become available.
Last year, there were 1,710 animals vaccinated against rabies during the 2018 low-cost rabies clinic. There were 19 animals tested for the rabies virus and no cases of human rabies.
