Hall Co. reports second case of rabies in Braselton neighborhood

GAINESVILLE - Hall County Animal Services is reporting its eighteenth case of rabies in the county for 2014, and it's the second case for a neighborhood in Braselton this month.<br /> <br /> In the latest case, a rabid raccoon came into contact with a dog in the Marsh Creek Court area. Just last week, a rabid skunk was found in the same area.<br /> <br /> Hall County Animal Control and Enforcement Director Mike Ledford said it's not that uncommon to see more than one case in the same area.<br /> <br /> "The types of animals that are most common carriers are raccoons, skunks, fox, they tend to stay around the same waterways, the same food sources."<br /> <br /> While 18 may sound like a high number of cases, Ledford said it's not all that high for Hall.<br /> <br /> "I know it sounds bad, but this is about a normal pace for us."<br /> <br /> You don't frequently hear about rabies cases in other counties. Ledford said that doesn't mean rabies is more prevalent in Hall.<br /> <br /> "Because we've had the years we've had in the past, we're very diligent to ship out everything (animals) that we know has had contact with a domestic animal or human. We're not going to leave it to chance. We're going to let the guys down at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) verify one way or the other and proceed from there."<br /> <br /> As is procedure, animal services has posted positive alert signs in the area where the rabid raccoon was found.<br /> <br /> Leford said the manta remains the same, but it works.<br /> <br /> "Having your pet vaccinated against rabies is absolutely vital in helping to control the spread of this disease."<br /> <br /> Animal Services encourages anyone who sees an animal behaving in an unusual manner to call the office at 770-531-6830 or call Hall County Dispatch at 770-536-8812 during non-working hours.<br /> <br /> "There's no reason to try to approach it," Ledford added.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2014/10/280447