Oxford County Marks World Rabies Day

Monday, 28 September 2015 05:52

Rabies remains a worldwide threat, and is almost always fatal.

People all around the world still die due to rabies every year.

World Rabies Day is today, and Oxford Public Health is reminding people about the real danger the illness poses. Oxford County Public Health's Program Supervisor for Health Protection Elaine Reddick says many people don't take this illness as seriously as they should. "It still causes tens of thousands of deaths, if you can believe it, every year in Africa and Asia, and a little bit in South America. So it still is a big problem around the world and we are fortunate that we do have programs for vaccinating our pets as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources vaccinating wild animals and that has led to a decrease in rabies incidents here."

Oxford County Public Health also just held rabies clinics across the county to help people with the cost of the vaccinations. There is a law in place saying pets must be vaccinated - the fine for not doing so is $90.

Reddick tells us we have been lucky here in Oxford. "There have not been a lot of cases. Rabies is still declining quite a lot in Ontario, which is a good thing. We haven't had any in Oxford that's been detected. However, surrounding health units last year found rabid bats in Waterloo, Middlesex, and Elgin, so it's around. In 2014 it was all bats."

There are a few small tips that could make a big difference. "We do advice people to keep their pets in at night," says Reddick. "That helps make sure they don't come into contact with a rabid animal and either get rabies or even just get into a fight and get hurt. It's important to teach children to stay away from wild animals or even dogs and cats they don't know. And never try to feed or pick up a wild animal."

All animal bites must be reported to Oxford County Public Health so they can conduct a follow up investigation.

To learn more about rabies, and Oxford County Public Health's role in prevention, click here