Rabid Raccoon in Rhinebeck: The Health Department Is Asking for Your Call
A raccoon brought to Rhinebeck Animal Hospital last week tested positive for rabies. The two people who brought the animal in left without providing their contact information or saying where the raccoon was found. Now the Dutchess County Department of Health is asking for the public's help tracking them down. If that sounds like a situation you recognize, it is worth picking up the phone.
WHAT HAPPENED
According to Dutchess County officials, the raccoon was brought to Rhinebeck Animal Hospital, at 6450 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck, by two individuals who did not stay to leave contact details. They also did not tell hospital staff where the animal had been found. Once the raccoon tested positive for rabies, that gap became the central problem. Health officials cannot assess possible exposure, identify where the animal may have been encountered, or follow up with the people who handled it.
WHO THE COUNTY IS ASKING TO CALL
The Dutchess County Department of Health has two requests for the public.
First: if you were one of the two people who brought the raccoon to Rhinebeck Animal Hospital last week, or if you know who they might be, please contact the Health Department. Second: if you had any direct contact with a raccoon or another wild animal in the Rhinebeck area that was behaving unusually, officials want to hear from you as well.
The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health can be reached at (845) 486-3404, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or at (845) 431-6465 on evenings and weekends. More rabies guidance is at dutchessny.gov/rabies.
WHY ACTING QUICKLY MATTERS
Rabies is a serious viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. Once a person develops symptoms, it is nearly always fatal. Exposure to a potentially rabid animal is not a foregone conclusion, and that distinction matters: post-exposure prophylaxis, the preventive treatment given after a possible exposure, is highly effective when started promptly. The treatment works because people report possible contact before symptoms appear.
The Health Department's request is time-sensitive. The sooner officials can identify the two individuals who brought the raccoon in and confirm what contact, if any, occurred, the better positioned they are to ensure anyone who needs treatment can get it in time.
IF YOU SAW AN UNUSUAL WILD ANIMAL
Wild animals with rabies often behave in ways that stand out: a raccoon active in broad daylight, an animal that seems disoriented or unsteady, or one that approaches people without its usual wariness. If you encountered an animal like that in the Rhinebeck area recently and had direct contact with it, that is information the Health Department needs.
You do not need to be certain the animal was rabid. Let officials evaluate the situation. What matters is that you make the call.
Do not approach or attempt to capture any wild animal on your own. If you see one acting strangely, keep your distance and contact animal control or the Health Department.
Rhododendrites, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
HOW TO REACH THE DUTCHESS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
The department's contact information is above: (845) 486-3404 weekdays, (845) 431-6465 evenings and weekends, or dutchessny.gov/rabies. If you have information, or if you are not sure whether your situation is relevant, the Health Department is the right first call. They can help you determine whether follow-up is needed.
This is a solvable situation. The county has the tools and the protocols. They are missing information. If you have it, please share it.
SOURCES
Hudson Valley Country: Rabid Raccoon Tests Positive for Rabies in Rhinebeck, NY
Featured image: Bart Everson, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
The Daily Catch: County Seeks People Who Brought Rabid Raccoon to Rhinebeck Animal Hospital
