Raccoons may be cute and cuddly, but they can be dangerous if they have rabies. The virus can live on the animals’ body for generations, and you can become infected by touching a rabid raccoon. If you encounter a raccoon and suspect it of having rabies, call the local animal control service immediately. If possible, write down the exact time and place you came into contact with the animal. Professionals will come to take care of the raccoon and treat it.
While rabies is rare in the United States, it is spread by bats and pets. Rabies in raccoons is rare, but it can be deadly if you get close to one. If you find a raccoon with rabies in your area, never handle it. Rabies in raccoons can be difficult to diagnose and can be fatal if you get infected.
Symptoms of rabies in a raccoon include extreme excitement and aggression. Infected raccoons may attack and gnaw at their own limbs. During the rabies epidemic, a raccoon with rabies may be aggressive and unprovoked. Rabies can even cause partial paralysis in some cases. Rabies symptoms may vary from one animal to another, but you should always contact a professional if you suspect a raccoon of rabies.
While rabies is transmitted through direct contact with infected raccoons, it is not an obligate disease of all raccoons. To get rabies, a raccoon needs to come into contact with a rabid animal and consume its saliva. Rabies is fatal in raccoons, and you should take your pets to an animal-friendly park if you find raccoons in your neighborhood.
In the United States, raccoons are responsible for a significant percentage of all rabies cases in wildlife, accounting for nearly 90 percent of all reported cases. Only one human has contracted rabies after being bitten by a raccoon. This is why prevention is so important. You should learn the signs and symptoms of rabies and avoid contact with wild animals if possible.
While rabies is not a deadly disease, a raccoon can bite you and transmit it to you if it gets in contact with you. Rabies is usually transmitted through a bite from a raccoon, but it can also be spread through saliva or fecal matter. While you shouldn’t get too close to raccoons, you should avoid touching them.
The CDC reports that 90 percent of reported cases of rabies in wildlife occur in raccoons. The National Rabies Management Program was set up in 1997 to control and eliminate the wildlife rabies virus. The program focuses on controlling raccoon rabies in all states east of the ORV zone, which runs from Maine to central Alabama. During the last year, raccoon rabies has become a significant problem in the U.S.
Rabies is a serious disease for humans and pets, and it is spread through the saliva of infected raccoons. Raccoons have the highest risk of transmission of rabies compared to other mammals. Since raccoons live in communities, they will come into contact with each other, making them susceptible to the disease. If one of these raccoons has rabies, it can spread the disease throughout the entire community.
