County Health Agency Issues Reminders About Rabies; Rabid Raccoon Recently Killed In Berlin

BERLIN – A rabid raccoon in downtown Berlin served as proof of what health officials have been saying all along — the deadly disease can show up anywhere.

“We never know where the next call’s going to come from,” said Janet Tull, rabies coordinator for the Worcester County Health Department.

Tull said the county documented its sixth confirmed case of rabies this year when a raccoon carrying the disease was picked up off Main Street. According to Tull, the health department was contacted by a resident whose dog killed the rabid raccoon.

The dog’s rabies vaccination was up-to-date, but by law the animal was still required to receive a booster shot and had to remain in quarantine at the owner’s home for 45 days.

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