State health officials are calling attention to an increase in the number of animal rabies cases reported in Washington County.
Five animals have tested positive for rabies in Washington County so far in 2014, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently issued an advisory warning about the increase.
Five animals — four raccoons and one skunk — represent a significant increase, according to Dr. Sheila Pinette, director of the center. Only one animal tested positive for rabies from Washington County in 2013, and prior to that year there had been no confirmed cases since 2007.
In the Washington County cases, a rabid raccoon bit a man and a dog in one incident, Pinette reported. Two other dogs were bitten by rabid raccoons, and another dog was bitten by a rabid skunk. There also was one case of a rabid raccoon with no incident of exposure.
The incidents involving the raccoons occurred in Baileyville, Pleasant Point, Charlotte and Deblois, and the incident with the skunk took place in Calais.
The rabid raccoons were reported from May to September. Because Washington County borders Canada, state and federal officials notified officials in New Brunswick.
In June, New Brunswick officials notified the CDC of a case of a rabid raccoon, the first case of animal rabies in a raccoon in the province since 2003. The raccoon case originated in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, which is across the St. Croix River from Calais.
The increase in Washington County is significant, noted Pinette, because there have been so few cases of rabies in the county in recent years.
“It is also concerning because it indicates rabies positive animals are being found close to the Canadian border,” which has traditionally had few cases, she said in an email to the Bangor Daily News.
So far this year, 35 cases of rabid animals have been reported in Maine compared with 51 in all of 2013. By far, the disease most frequently has occurred this year in raccoons (14) and skunks (7). The other cases were gray fox (5), bats (4), red fox (2), and one each of cat, cow and woodchuck.
Cumberland County reported the most cases with seven, and Androscoggin and Kennebec County each reported five.
Maine had 85 cases of rabid animals in 2012, but the number was lower and fairly stable — in the low 60s — from 2008-11.
Rabies can infect any animal that has hair, but it is very rare among small rodents such as squirrels, rats, mice and chipmunks, according to the CDC. It is a viral disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, and it can cause death if left untreated.
Rabid animals usually act strangely, but the signs may vary. Some may seem shy and fearful, while others become mean. Rabid animals may stumble as though drunk, appear lame, or seem very friendly. Since rabies cannot be determined by an animal’s appearance or behavior, health officials recommend avoiding contact with all wild animals, especially raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats and any animal a person does not know.
The rabies virus occurs in the saliva, brain and spinal cord of infected animals. It spreads when a rabid animal bites or scratches a person or animal. It also spreads if an infected animal’s saliva or neural tissue comes in contact with a person or animal’s mouth, nose or eyes, or enters a cut in the skin.
If a person is bitten or scratched by a wild animal, the individual should clean any wounds with soap and water for 10-15 minutes and notify a warden and physician. The wild animal would need to be tested in order to rule out rabies.