Only one positive rabies case was reported in Henry County during 2019, according to a Dec. 27 report from Henry County Animal Care and Control.

  Vince Farah, the county’s rabies control officer who presented his annual report to the Board of Health, said that it was the lowest total in his 33 years on the job.

  According to the HCACC website, that lone rabies case was reported last spring. The department received a call on April 2 that a sick raccoon had come into contact with a dog on Wild Turkey Drive in Locust Grove. The raccoon was sent to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory, where test results were positive for the rabies virus.

  As is typical in such situations, the HCACC issued a 45-day rabies alert for a half-mile area around the Kimbell Farms subdivision in Locust Grove. Residents were urged to make sure all of their companion animals had current rabies vaccinations and to be vigilant about their own pets’ behavior as well as that of surrounding wildlife.

  Farah’s year-end report indicated that, as of November 30, his office handled 185 animal- to-human bites: 134 dogs, 42 cats, two wild animals and nine listed as “other.” A total of 25 rabies tests were performed on nine cats, seven dogs, a goat, a coyote, and eight wild animals.

  The fact that there was only one positive test result, in light of the amount of activity in previous years, is significant in Farah’s opinion.

  “From a high of 18 or 19 positive cases about five years ago, to just one this year, is very encouraging,” he said. “We have worked diligently on education and outreach and pet owners have responded positively by making sure that their companion animals are vaccinated against this terrible disease.”

  Georgia law and Henry County’s Animal Control Ordinance require all dogs and cats over 12 weeks of age be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, and that this vaccine be kept current for the lifetime of the animal. It is also required that your pet wear a collar with its current rabies vaccination tag attached to it.

  Vaccinating your companion animals against rabies helps protect them from the disease, and a vaccinated domestic pet population provides a buffer zone between wildlife rabies and humans, according to the HCACC.

  The department hosts a monthly vaccination day at its facility at 527 Hampton Street in McDonough, and the next scheduled session is Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A rabies vaccination costs $20 and no appointment is needed.

  For more information, visit www.hcacc.org