SPARTA, Mo. — Health officials in Christian County, Missouri say tests have confirmed a case of rabies in a skunk, found dead at a home near Sparta Elementary School in September.
The residents of that home had seven pets that all had to be euthanized.
The Missouri Department of Health confirmed test results this week.
The dead animal was first noticed by a resident in Sparta. The last confirmed case of rabies in Christian County was a year and a half ago.
County health officials are urging pet owners in Sparta and the rest of the county to check the status of their dog or cat’s rabies vaccinations, and update them if necessary.
In a news release, the Christian County Health Department said; “The Sparta School District will be notifying parents of children within their district in order to allow for needed discussions concerning any recent physical interaction between family members or pets with stray domestic animals (that could have been exposed) or skunks.”
If your child is bit by a pet and you’re concerned that pet could have rabies there are measures you can take.
Cindy Bilyeu, Christian County Health Department, says, “What we ask them to do is quarantine the animal for 10 days so that we know if it was to the stage it would have transmitted the disease to the child. If that animal is still healthy within 10 days that lessens the chance astronomically that this child is going to get rabies from this bite.”