Raccoon Tests Positive For Rabies In Meriden

Information via City of Meriden

MERIDEN, CT - The Meriden Department of Health and Human Services wants to inform the public that a raccoon in Meriden tested positive for rabies on June 4, 2019. The raccoon was caught on Gypsy Lane.

Rabies is a viral disease primarily of animals caused by infection of the brain and spinal cord. People can get rabies from the bite of an infected animal. An animal with rabies can also transmit the rabies virus through its saliva, which can come in contact with a person’s mucous membranes (mouth, nose, eyes) or can get in open wounds on the skin.

All residents should avoid feeding or approaching wild or stray animals. Recommended precautions include:

 Vaccinate your pets. Be sure your pet dogs, cats, ferrets and other animals are up-to-date on
their rabies vaccinations. Pets too young to be vaccinated should be kept indoors and allowed
outside only under direct observation. Your veterinarian can let you know if your pet is too
young to be vaccinated.

 Keep family pets indoors at night. Don’t leave them outside unattended or let them roam free.
 Don’t attract wild animals to your home or yard. Keep your property free of stored bird seed or
other foods that may attract wild animals. Feed pets indoors. Tightly cap or put away garbage
cans.

 Don’t feed, touch or adopt wild animals, stray dogs or cats. Enjoy wildlife from a distance. If you
see an animal that is sick, injured or orphaned, call Animal Control (numbers are below). Do not
handle the animal yourself.

 Get wild animals removed from your home. If nuisance wild animals are living in parts of your
home, consult with a nuisance wildlife control expert about having them removed.
 Teach children not to touch any animal they do not know and to tell an adult immediately if they
are bitten by any animal.

 Let wild animals wander away if they are on your property. Bring children and pets indoors and
alert neighbors who are outside.

 Report all animal bites or contact with wild animals to your local health department. If possible,
do not let any animal escape that has possibly exposed someone to rabies.

To learn more about rabies in both humans and animals, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/rabies. For further information, contact the Meriden Department of Health and Human Services at (203) 630-4226 or Meriden Animal Control at (203) 235-4179. For sick or injured animals, please call (203) 238-1911 and a dispatcher will notify the on-call Animal Control Officer. Sick or injured animals can be DANGEROUS. Please call immediately and keep away from a sick or injured animal.