Rabies case confirmed in Tazewell County

By JIM TALBERT\Staff
LEBANON – Officials with the Virginia Department of Health say a raccoon captured in the Tannersville community of Tazewell County has tested positive for rabies.
A resident noticed the animal in their yard acting strangely and contacted public health officials. Brian Stanley, with the health department said the raccoon was tested as part of the health department’s surveillance program.
Stanley said there is no known contact between humans and the animal. However, he asked that anyone who may have had contact with the raccoon call the health department at 988-5585 or animal control at 988-4160.
He said anyone who suspects an animal may have contact with the raccoon should also call one of those numbers.
This is the first confirmed positive rabid animal in Tazewell County this year however 11 confirmed cases were reported in Tazewell County last year and a total of fourteen within the Cumberland Plateau Health District.
Leslie Clevinger, Environmental Health Supervisor with the Tazewell County Health Department, stated the importance of vaccinating your pets against the rabies virus. The local resident who reported this incident had three beloved pets, all with current rabies vaccinations obtained during a rabies clinic held in Tazewell County. Rabies vaccinations not only help protect your pets from possible rabies exposures which may or not be known, they prevented the possible loss of these animals had they been exposed to this raccoon.