Douglas County Health Department concludes rabies containment with no new cases
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - In a statement Monday, the Douglas County Health Department says their rabies containment effort has concluded with no new cases.
The efforts began when a stray kitten was found in central Omaha with a form of raccoon rabies that was native to the Southeastern United States.
“We hadn’t seen rabies in a domesticated animal, dog or cat, since like, 1982, I believe,” Deputy Health Director of the Douglas County Health Department Justin Frederick said. “So it had been decades since we’ve had rabies in domesticated animals, and that’s when we found out that this particular type of rabies was the raccoon variant that we really don’t see west of the Appalachian Mountains.”
The efforts were undertaken by the DCHD, with support from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Nebraska Humane Society, according to the statement.
The statement says that the population’s raccoon population, paired with the frequency with which those raccoons and people’s pets interact, demanded a swift response.
The effort culminated in a trap, vaccine, and release program with local wildlife, including a mass vaccination campaign and monitoring roadkill for any more cases found to ensure that this strain did not establish itself in the Midwest.
“This was a tremendous example of what public health can do,” said Justin Frederick, deputy health director and chief of infectious disease epidemiology of the Douglas County Health Department. “If this raccoon strain had become established, the costs of containment and treatment could have run into the tens of millions of dollars.”
Testing concluded on July 24, with 515 wildlife and feral cats testing negative for rabies.
Since Oct. 1, 2023, routine screening has shown that 36 additional wildlife, and 70 more cats, all testing negative for rabies.
“The initial response was unprecedented,” Frederick said. “I would like to thank the amazing agencies that partnered with us and assure the public that we will remain vigilant.”
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