The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County has expanded the boundaries for a rabies alert it issued last month, after a raccoon found outside the previous boundaries tested positive for rabies.
The current alert is for the next 60 days, with the center of the affected area in the southeast area of Pasco. It’s bordered on the west by County Road 535, on the south by Centennial Road, on the east by River Glen Boulevard, and on the north by Chancey Road.
Domestic animals are at risk if not vaccinated, officials said, even if they are outside the current rabies alert area.
“In rural and urban surroundings, rabies in the wild animal population — specifically raccoons — are more prevalent than most people think,” said county health office Mike Napier, in a release. “We urge you to be responsible pet owners and get your pets vaccinated, and to educate your children to stay away from raccoons or animals they are not familiar with.”
All domestic animals should be vaccinated against rabies, and all wildlife contact should be avoided, particularly with raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes, officials said.
Rabies is a disease of the nervous system, and is fatal to humans and warm-blooded animals. The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies-specific immune globulin and rabies immunization.
Precautions to protect against rabies are to:
• Keep rabies vaccinations up to date for all pets.
• Keep pets under direct supervision so they do not come into contact with wild animals. If a pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance immediately.
• Call local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from a neighborhood.
• Do no handle, feed or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
• Never adopt wild animals, or bring them into a house.
• Teach children to never handle unfamiliar animals — wild or domestic — even if they appear friendly.
• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools and other similar areas where they might come in contact with people and pets.
• If bitten by an animal, seek care promptly. Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. Visit family doctor or hospital for medical attention immediately.
• Contact Pasco County Animal Services at (813) 929-1212 to report animal bites or scratches, and for information on stray dogs and cats.
• Contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at (863) 648-3203 for concerns about wild animals.
