Aransas County Courthouse ● 2840 Hwy 35 N ● Rockport, TX, 78382
ELEVATED RABIES NUMBERS IN THE REGION
Friday July 28, 2023 – The Texas Department of State Health Services contacted officials in Aransas County today to share information about an uptick in rabies cases in the region. Ten skunks and one fox from Mission Valley, Victoria County, Texas, recently tested positive for the skunk strain of rabies. Aransas County residents and visitors should pay close attention to animals they encounter and immediately report any animals that are behaving strangely or exhibit symptoms of rabies. Don’t approach or handle wild animals.
Rabies is a deadly disease that attacks the nervous system. All warm-blooded animals may contract the rabies virus. Humans are at risk as well as dogs, cats, cows, goats, sheep, horses, swine, skunks, bats, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, and more. Opossums, on the other hand, are known to be very resistant to contracting rabies.
Rabies can be fatal. It is transmitted by the saliva of an infected animal that comes into contact with another animal and infects it through an opening in the skin (i.e. from a bite) or through contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth. Rabies is not transmitted through the air or through the blood, urine, or feces of infected animals.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first symptoms of rabies in animals may include fever, vomiting, and reduced food consumption. After the first few days, the animal may have weakness, paralysis, seizures, difficulty breathing or swallowing, excessive drooling, aggression and more. To protect your pets, make sure they have up-to-date rabies vaccinations.
Below, you will see a map from the Texas Department of State Health Services website that illustrates the current known cases of rabies in Texas, by county.
Source: Texas State Department of Health Services website, last accessed on July 28, 2023.
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/LIDS-Zoonosis/Rabies%20JPEG/2023/county.jpg
CONTACT: Emily Guerrero, Public Information Officer, pio@aransascounty.org, (361) 790-0100
