Rabies on the rise in our area

By Alison Chave

Rabies is on the rise in Quebec for the first time in a decade, with 67 cases of rabid animals confirmed so far this year. The Townships is the area most affected as the disease spreads across the border from Vermont.

Canadian and US officials have been collaborating on a vaccine program to control the spread of the disease. Quebec spread 635,000 oral rabies vaccine baits by air and land in August and September.

The Quebec government has also extended until early December the ban on moving live animals – raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes and their hybrids.

Be Alert: Rabies Is a Deadly Disease

Rabies is a deadly disease. Even animals that seem healthy may be carriers of the rabies virus, since symptoms often do not develop until weeks or months after infection.

Be alert! Stay away from wild animals, and get your outdoor pets vaccinated.

Report any dead raccoons, skunks, or foxes, as well as those displaying disorientation, injury, abnormal aggression, or paralysis, by calling 1-877-346-6763 or by completing the online reporting form available at Quebec.ca.

If you come in contact with a potentially rabid animal, seek immediate medical attention.