HALL COUNTY, Ga. – The Hall County Animal Shelter is offering low-cost rabies vaccinations for $10 per pet.
What we know:
Georgia law requires domestic pets to be kept current on their rabies vaccinations. According to public health guidelines, maintaining up-to-date shots is a primary method for preventing the spread of the virus within local communities.
The shelter provides a one-year rabies vaccine for pets receiving their first shot or for those that are not currently up to date. Alternatively, pets may qualify for a three-year vaccine if they are already current on their shots and the appointment is completed before their existing vaccine expires.
Confirmed Georgia animal rabies cases
By the numbers:
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has collected data for the confirmed animal rabies cases in the United States between 2019 and 2023. Georgia had a total of 904 confirmed cases between the span of those four years.
While the CDC has stated, rabies is rare, it is still a serious public health concern, with 1.4 million Americans each year receiving health care for possible rabies exposure.
Currently, more than 90% of confirmed rabies cases happen in wildlife like bats, foxes, skunks and raccoons and less in domesticated animals. The CDC adds that a decrease in human deaths from rabies is related to pet vaccinations.
What you can do:
Local government officials ask that all pet owners ensure their pets are current on their rabies vaccinations. Any unvaccinated pets that are exposed to a rabid animal will have to strictly quarantined for four months and be vaccinated one month before being released.
Residents are encouraged to contact Hall County Animal Services at 770-531-6830 to report an animal behaving unusually.
The Source: The information for this story came from a Facebook post from Hall County Animal Services and the Center for Disease Control’s website.
