An outbreak of rabies in southern Ontario appeared to quiet down in December, with only 13 confirmed cases of the disease – but while that number was the lowest of any month in 2016, it was still far more than in any month this decade before the outbreak began.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, six raccoons, six skunks and one llama tested positive for rabies in December.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in the province in 2016 to 288.
By way of comparison, there were 13 cases of rabies confirmed in Ontario animals in the 11-month period from January to November 2015.
It was December 2015 when the outbreak believed responsible for most of the recent cases of rabies began.
The outbreak was discovered when a raccoon and two dogs got into a fight in an animal control van in Hamilton. It is believed that the raccoon already had rabies when it made the 500-kilometre journey to Ontario from New York State.
In 2016, the disease was found in 171 raccoons, 84 skunks, 29 bats, one cat – which bit a person in the Caledonia area – one fox, one cow and one llama.
Most of the cases were centred around Hamilton and Caledonia, but some rabid animals were found further west, including one skunk in Huron County.
In response to the outbreak, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry airdropped about one million doses of an anti-rabies vaccine around southern Ontario, hoping that animals would be attracted to the vaccines and consume them.
There has also been at least one confirmed case of rabies already this year.
According to the Perth District Health Unit, a calf in the Gowanstown area north of Listowel tested positive for the disease.
