Reminder Not To Feed Animals Following RI Rabies Exposure

NORTH PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island residents were reminded not to feed wildlife after a North Providence couple was exposed to rabies, the Department of Environmental Management said.

The couple fed a raccoon that later tested positive for rabies, the department said. Feeding wild animals is illegal in Rhode Island and can lead to disease transmission and other issues, DEM officials said, urging residents to never intentionally feed wildlife.

The North Providence incident was reported Aug. 31. Environmental police found the male raccoon, which was unsteady and had an injured foot. The animal was euthanized by the officer and submitted to the Department of Health's state Health Laboratory for testing. The rabies diagnosis was confirmed Sept. 2.

"Situations like this highlight the reason why people should keep a safe distance, and keep their pets and livestock a safe distance, from wild animals," said Scott Marshal, a state veterinarian and chairman of the Rhode Island Rabies Control Board. "Any contact with a wild mammal is a potential rabies exposure that may necessitate a person undergoing rabies preventive treatment, or the animal being euthanized to test for rabies, both of which can be avoided by simply keeping a safe distance."

Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often spread through a bite from an infected animal, the DEM said. It infects the central nervous system before spreading to the brain and causing death.

Although Rhode Island has not seen a confirmed case of rabies in a person since 1940, the raccoon-adapted strain of the virus is "widely found" in the state, the Department of Health said. Raccoons, foxes, skunks, bats and woodchucks are particularly susceptible to this strain of rabies. Unvaccinated pets and stray cats, dogs and ferrets can be exposed through contact with these high-risk species. By law, all cats, dogs and ferrets in Rhode Island must be up-to-date on rabies immunizations.

Anyone who believes they were exposed to a rabid animal is urged to call the Department of Health's Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 401-222-2577 weekdays form 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 401-276-8046 after hours.