GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — There’s been an increase in rabies attacks in Gwinnett County with two rabid cats biting people in the past couple of weeks.
Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke with officials at Gwinnett County Animal Control who said it’s early in the year to see an increase in rabid animals.
“They’re all different animals, different situations,” Director of Gwinnett County Animal Control, Vernon Sawyer said.
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It’s not unusual for Gwinnett County Animal Control to get calls about rabid animals in the summer, especially in rural areas.
But what is strange this year is how many calls they have received already.
“We’ve had four incidents so far before summer has officially started,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer told Channel 2 Action News it’s been cats lately that have tested positive for rabies.
On May 30, a rabid cat attacked someone in Dacula, and on Saturday a rabid cat bit a woman on Barker Station Walk in Buford.
“It was a good Samaritan that saw an injured cat and was just trying to help the cat and as a result was bit,” she told Channel 2 Action News.
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In March and April, neighbors reported two rabid raccoons along a stretch of Buford Highway in Buford.
“You never know what type of interaction your animal is going to have when it’s running at large,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer said every pet should have the rabies vaccine amid an increase in rabies cases.
With the official start of summer approaching animal welfare staff say the recent rabies cases are a reminder for the public to let the experts handle things.
Anyone showing signs of rabies symptoms is urged to get emergency help immediately and call Gwinnett County Animal Control.
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