Health Department speaks on confirmed case of rabies on Robins Air Force Base

WARNER ROBINS — A raccoon on Robins Air Force Base tested positive for rabies, the Houston County Health Department reported. 

HCHD Environmental Health County Manager Christine Buffington said Robins Air Force Base contacted the health department after one of their employees came in contact with the raccoon. 

“We were able to contain [the raccoon] and were able to ship it for testing,” she said. 

Rabies is a virus that can enter through an infected bite or an unvaccinated wild animal. 

“Usually [rabies] gets spread through a bite from the animal. In order for the virus to spread into the bloodstream and possibly infect the person, [rabies] has to be present in the saliva and the brain matter in the animal,” she said. 

If left untreated, Buffington pointed out, rabies is almost always fatal. She said there are two types of rabies: the aggressive and the lazy form. 

“The aggressive form would be where the animal would come out and attack for no reason and are usually not afraid of humans when they usually would be,” she said. “The lazy form of rabies is usually found in bats, but other animals such as raccoons, foxes and coyotes will have more of the aggressive kind.” 

Usually, rabies can be found in bats, cats, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes. Humans can also contract the rabies virus, however, Buffington said the Rabies Control Manual stated that Georgia has not had a confirmed human case of rabies since 2000. 

“A human can get [rabies,] but it’s not very common because the Health Department is there to assist with following the possible exposure and determining the risk to humans,” she said. “We like to initiate treatment as soon as we are made aware that the animal could have been or was rabid and complete that treatment within the protocol.” 

In Houston County, Buffington shared that there were three animal cases of rabies in FY22, one in FY23, and two cases in FY24. 

Buffington mentioned that regarding a suspected rabid animal, the first step would be to find out the exact location. This allows the Health Department to see if they can catch the rabid animal. 

“If we’re unable to trap it, a lot of times what happens is if somebody is attacked by a rabid animal, they kill the animal themselves so we know that’s the animal that bit them,” she said. “We would then go ahead and recommend treatment. The best thing for that individual to do first is to wash that infected area with soap and water and then go to the nearest ER to begin treatment.” 

The Health Department will soon be in touch with that person to discuss their treatment and its completion. 

Buffington encourages the public to get their pets, such as dogs, cats and ferrets vaccinated. She said oftentimes, most pets are not up to date with their vaccinations. 

“If a wild or rabid animal comes in contact with an unvaccinated animal, the risk of your pet getting [rabies] increases,” she said. “If you have a furry loved one, we recommend you to vaccinate them on a regular schedule.”