Six People Exposed to Rabies from Cat

Six individuals in Charleston County have been exposed to rabies after coming in contact with an infected cat, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

These cases, involving five adults and one teen, involve the first confirmed cases of animal rabies in South Carolina this year. There were 137 confirmed animal cases statewide during 2012.

Encounters with rabid animals is the most common way humans could contract the virus. Generally, the illness is associated with racoons and bats, but domesticated animals pose a risk, especially if they are not vaccinated.

"Wild animals carry the disease most often, but domestic pets can contract rabies as well," said Sue Ferguson of DHEC's Bureau of Environmental Health. "About 275 South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies every year, with most exposures coming from bites or scratches by a rabid or suspected rabid animal."

Ferguson said state law requires pet owners to have their pets regularly vaccinated against the disease.

"If you think you have been exposed to the rabies virus through a bite, scratch or the saliva of a possibly infected animal, immediately wash the affected area with plenty of soap and water," she said. "Then be sure to get medical attention and report the incident to DHEC."

Rabies is spread through an infected animal's saliva comes in contact with broken skin. That usually happens with an infected animal bites a healthy animal.

For more information about rabies, see DHEC's webpage at http://www.scdhec.gov/rabies or contact your local DHEC environmental health office. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's webpage about rabies can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies.

Editor's note: This story is modified from its original version to reflect that six individuals were exposed to rabies.