Rabies found in York County pet cat; 10 people may have been exposed

Ten people in York County have been referred to health care professionals after a pet cat tested positive for rabies, South Carolina health officials said.

The exposure came during normal, routine care of a cat, officials said.

The cat tested positive for rabies on Wednesday, after it was submitted to state officials on Tuesday, said Tommy Crosby, spokesman for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

DHEC officials immediately notified all the people who had potential exposure to the cat and have urged them to see doctors, Crosby said.

The rabies case is the fifth animal in York County to test positive for the viral disease in 2018, officials said. Across South Carolina this year, 63 confirmed cases of animal rabies have been found, DHEC officials said.

Last year, three of the 63 statewide rabies cases were in York County.

State health and wildlife officials with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources urge people to give wild and stray animals space to avoid potential contact with the rabies virus.

People who see wild or stray animals acting strangely should not approach those animals and should contact York County Animal Control.

Rabies is usually transmitted through a bite from an infected animal, officials said.

“Saliva or neural tissue contact with open wounds or areas such as the eyes, nose, or mouth could also potentially transmit rabies,” said David Vaughan, director of DHEC’s Onsite Wastewater, Rabies Prevention and Enforcement Division.

Officials said updated rabies vaccination for pets is the best defense against rabies.

For more information visit www.scdhec.gov/rabies or www.cdc.gov/rabies/.

This story was originally published August 27, 2018 at 8:14 AM.