Rabid groundhog attacks dog amid ‘unusual’ spike of rabies in Maryland, officials say
A curious number of rabid animals have been found in Maryland within the last three months, health officials said.
Frederick County Animal Control collected a groundhog after it got into a fight with a dog, the Frederick County Health Department said in an Oct. 8 news release.
Health officials said the animal tested positive for rabies, marking the third groundhog found infected within a quarter-mile radius.
“Finding this many rabid animals a short distance from each other and over a short period of time is unusual,” the health department said in a statement.
In some of the other incidents, the groundhogs have “shown aggression” to either pets or people, officials warned.
“Mammals can be infected with the rabies virus, so do not touch or play with unknown animals, and make sure your pets are vaccinated,” said Barry Glotfelty, director for the department’s Environmental Health Services.
Frederick County is about a 55-mile drive northwest of Baltimore.
What to know about rabies
According to the World Health Organization, rabies is a viral disease that spreads via saliva and infects mammals. Symptoms of the disease include fever, aggressive behavior, excessive salivation and failure to eat or drink.
About 4,000 animal rabies cases are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease rarely infects people — fewer than 10 rabies cases are reported annually in humans.
This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Rabid groundhog attacks dog amid ‘unusual’ spike of rabies in Maryland, officials say."
