Health officials have found a rabid skunk near Sloan’s Lake in west Denver.
While not unusual in rural areas of the state, the rabid skunk is the first discovered in the metro region since 1976, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the skunk was infected with a strain of the virus typically carried by bats.
John Pape, a state health department epidemiologist, said the bat strain is usually isolated and doesn’t spread to other animals.
“This probably means the infected animal found and ate a rabid bat,” he said in a statement.
So far this year, 89 skunks have been tested for rabies statewide, and 18 were infected, according to the state health department
Of 308 bats that have been tested this year, 44 have carried rabies.
Rabies, a virus that attacks the central nervous system, is spread by the saliva of infected animals. Its effects can be fatal to humans, as well as animals.
A rabid raccoon and cat in Kiowa County appear to have been infected with skunk rabies earlier this year.
Symptoms of rabies in animals include abnormal behavior, such as seeing bats out in the daytime of wild animals fearlessly approaching humans. Infected animals also may have trouble walking and may make unusual or excessive sounds.
Pape said the incident “serves as a good reminder” to keep pets vaccinated and take precautions to avoid contact with wildlife.
The Denver Department of Environmental Health, Animal Care and Control will offer rabies vaccinations Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon at the southwest end of Sloan’s Lake Park, near the intersection of 17th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard.
Paper said several agencies have been working together to track outbreaks.
“We will increase monitoring of skunk populations in this area to insure the disease is not more widespread,” he stated.
Tips to avoid rabies
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recommends these precautions to prevent possible exposure to rabies:
