Officials urge rabies shots after influx of animal bites

The Georgia Poison Center is seeing more and more people bitten by animals and experts urge more people to get rabies shots.

If rabies is untreated, it’s deadly for humans.

Gaylord Lopez, the director of the Georgia Poison Center, said animal bites are up 40 percent since 2012.

“We’re averaging over six animal bites a day, it’s staggering,” said Lopez.

According to a report from the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, a woman was attacked by a pack of dogs while she was jogging on John English Road in Clayton. The woman was holding napkins over her hand standing over a pool of blood when authorities and medical personnel arrived on scene.

Rabun County EMS transported the victim to the North East Georgia Medical Center for treatment of her wounds. Animal control arrived on scene and captured the dogs which they noted were a possible mix of Boxer and Pit and were “aggressive and scared to come around people.”

However, just because you’re bitten doesn’t mean you need a rabies shot according to Lopez. Some animals don’t carry rabies. The Georgia Poison Center recommends the shot in about 20 percent of cases.

Lopez urges anyone who is bitten to call the Georgia Poison Center. Representatives will ask you questions and follow a protocol to determine if the rabies shots are recommended. Lopez said to especially take action after unprovoked bites.

“An animal that may be unusually aggressive, a little bit wild, coming to bite you out of the blue, those are the animals we worry about,” said Lopez. “If that animal is displaying signs and symptoms and ends up testing positive and you don’t get treated, you’ll die. It’s as simple as that.”

People in Georgia most often get rabies shots because of interactions with bats.

Gone are the days of the painful shots to the abdomen. Now the vaccine is a series of shots over a few weeks in your arm. Lopez said there is another shot given early on, ideally near the site of the bite. Without insurance, shots can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000.