{"id":202882,"date":"2020-07-03T19:09:13","date_gmt":"2020-07-04T00:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=202882"},"modified":"2020-07-03T20:13:30","modified_gmt":"2020-07-04T01:13:30","slug":"skunk-in-kidder-co-tests-positive-rabies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=202882","title":{"rendered":"Skunk in Kidder Co. tests positive for rabies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Pettibone\u00a0 (NDDoH<\/a>) \u2013 The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) is notifying the public that a skunk in Kidder County tested positive for rabies. The skunk was exterminated after attacking a domestic cat in the town of Pettibone, North Dakota on June 30. Earlier that day, a skunk was reported to be acting aggressively toward people in Pettibone.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we can\u2019t be sure it was the same skunk,\u201d said Laura Cronquist, epidemiologist with the NDDoH, \u201cthere is cause for concern anytime a skunk acts aggressively and is within city limits of a community.\u201d Skunks serve as the primary carrier of rabies in North Dakota.<\/p>\n

Although the NDDoH is not aware of any exposure to people from the skunk or skunks, they are reminding individuals that if they are attacked or bitten by a skunk they need to call their health care provider as soon as possible and notify the NDDoH. If people have pets that have fought or otherwise interacted with a skunk, they should call their veterinarian as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cSituations like this reinforce the need to vaccinate all dogs and cats against rabies and to double check your records to make sure the vaccination is current,\u201d said Cronquist.<\/p>\n

The virus is most often transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. Rabies can also be transmitted if saliva or nervous system tissue from a rabid animal enters open cuts and wounds or the eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus attacks the nervous system and causes swelling of the brain. There is no treatment and rabies is nearly always fatal.<\/p>\n

The NDDoH and North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) recommend taking the following precautions to decrease the risk of rabies:<\/p>\n