UPDATE: The Rabies alert for Kendall has been expanded by the Floridia Department of Health after a second raccoon, killed by a car tested positive for the disease.
The alert is in effect for 60 days and includes the following boundaries.
- SW 72nd Street (Sunset Drive) to the North,
- SW 128th Street to the South,
- SW 87th Avenue to the East,
- Florida Turnpike to the West.
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (DOH-Miami-Dade) issued a rabies alert for the Kendall area. This is in response to a raccoon that tested positive on February 28, 2017.
This is the first confirmed rabid animal this year in the county and first rabid raccoon identified in Miami-Dade since 2001. DOH-Miami-Dade has been working with Miami-Dade Animal Services to identify any individuals who might have been exposed to the animal.
The recent rabies alert is for 60 days. The rabies alert includes the following boundaries in Miami-Dade County:
* SW 88th Street to the North;
* SW 95th Street to the South;
* SW 107th Avenue to the East; and
* SW 117th Avenue to the West.
An animal with rabies could infect other wild or domestic animals that have not been vaccinated against rabies. All domestic animals should be vaccinated against rabies and all wildlife contact should be avoided, particularly raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes. Rabies is a disease of the nervous system and is fatal to warm-blooded animals and humans. The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies-specific immune globulin and rabies immunization. Appropriate treatment started soon after the exposure, will protect an exposed person from the disease.
Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions:
* Keep rabies vaccinations up to date for all pets.
* Keep your pets under direct supervision so they do not come in contact with wild animals. If your pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance for the animal immediately and contact Miami-Dade County Animal Services at 3-1-1.
* Call your local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood.
* Do not handle, feed, or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
* Avoid contact with stray and feral animals.
* Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home.
* Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.
* Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas, where they might come in contact with people and pets.
* Persons who have been bitten or scratched by wild or domestic animals should seek medical attention and report the injury to the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County at 305-324-2400.
For further information on rabies, go to http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/rabies/index.html or call the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County at 305-324-2400, or Miami-Dade County Animal Services at 3-1-1.
Photo Credit: John Christophe Verhaegen Getty Images