Health Officials Confirm Rabies Infection in Mesa County
A dog owner in Clifton noticed her dog had a bat in its mouth. She took the bat to animal officials for testing and the test came back positive for rabies.
Now, her dog Sabria, who has a current rabies vaccination has been put in quarantine for 45 days to ensure the animal is not infected.
This is the first confirmed case of rabies in Mesa County this year. In May, two dogs, one in Yuma County, the other in Weld County tested positive for the virus. This was the first time since 2003 dogs have confirmed rabies infection.
As of July 7, there were 84 confirmed cases of rabies in Colorado. In 2016, there was a total of 88 infections with three of those in cats.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says keeping pet vaccinations current is the best way to avoid contracting rabies. Most human rabies infections are contracted by bites from domestic animals.
Since Sabria had previously been vaccinated and given a rabies booster shot her owner, Dianne Dersham is allowed to keep the dog quarantined at home.
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