November 30, 2010
(TAZEWELL, Va.) – The Tazewell County Health Department has received confirmation that a skunk collected November 24, 2010 from the Little Town area of Burkes Garden tested positive for rabies infection. This is the seventh confirmed case of animal rabies in Tazewell County this year.
According to Brian Stanley, environmental health manager of the Cumberland Plateau Health District, the skunk entered a kennel and attacked two small dogs. The skunk was killed and submitted for rabies testing due to the potential exposure to the two dogs. No known human exposures are reported to this skunk; however, the two small dogs that were attacked have been euthanized.
The health department asks any resident in this area who may have been exposed or has pets that may have been exposed to this rabid skunk to immediately notify the Tazewell County Health Department at 276-988-5585 or the Tazewell County Animal Control Office at 276-988-4160.
Rabies is a fatal disease. It can be prevented with vaccination, but once symptoms begin, it cannot be cured. To report any other suspicious animal please contact the Tazewell County Health Department at 276-988-5585 or the Tazewell County Animal Control Office at 276-988-4160.
For more information concerning rabies, visit the Virginia Department of Health’s Rabies Control and Prevention web site at www.vdh.virginia.gov/epi/rabies or call the Tazewell County Health Department at 276-988-5585.