MONTREAL — A case of rabies in a raccoon has been confirmed by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. This is the first case of raccoon rabies since 2015 in Quebec.
The infected raccoon was found dead in the municipality of Saint-Armand, in Estrie, on December 17. Citizens reported it to the authorities, which allowed rapid intervention. Tests carried out in January confirmed that raccoon variant rabies was the cause.
In a statement released Monday, the department said the raccoon was recovered about 1.4 kilometers from where a case was discovered in early December in the town of Highgate, Vermont.
Due to the presence of an epidemic of raccoon rabies in northern Vermont, in the United States, the Ministry of Wildlife is calling for caution among the Quebec population. Indeed, since March 2022, several cases of raccoon variant rabies have been detected in raccoons and skunks in the Burlington area, in the state of Vermont. In the last two years, the cases detected have moved closer to Quebec.
From 2006 to 2009, a total of 104 cases of raccoon rabies were confirmed in Quebec. Control operations, including vaccine baits, helped curb the spread in the province after this first introduction and only one other isolated case was subsequently detected in 2015.
Citizens of the municipality of Saint-Armand and other towns in the MRC du Haut-Richelieu and Brome-Missisquoi are called upon to be doubly vigilant. The public is invited to report raccoons, skunks and foxes that are dead or appear disoriented, injured, abnormally aggressive or even paralyzed by calling 1 877 346-6763 or by filling out the form on the Quebec government website.
-Vaccination interventions for raccoons, skunks and foxes are also planned for the year 2025. The ministry affirms that it is still analyzing “the best intervention strategy, which will be adapted to the situation”.
The Quebec government indicated that it was continuing its collaboration with American authorities to optimize control and surveillance efforts on both sides of the border.
The Ministry of Wildlife reminds that you should never approach an animal even if it seems harmless, because it could bite and transmit rabies. If a person has been bitten, scratched or has been in contact with the saliva of an unknown animal, it is important to clean the wound with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes and to contact Info-Santé 811 for future steps.
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