The S.C. Department of Public Health used World Rabies Day to urge pet vaccinations and caution around wild animals, citing hundreds of confirmed rabies cases statewide since 2019.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health is marking World Rabies Day, observed Sept. 28, by urging residents to vaccinate their pets and avoid contact with wild or stray animals.
The global observance promotes rabies prevention and honors Louis Pasteur, who developed the rabies vaccine, according to DPH. This year’s theme, “Stronger Together,” supports the Global Alliance for Rabies Control’s goal of eliminating human rabies deaths worldwide by 2030.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 70,000 people die of rabies globally each year, even though the disease is preventable through public health measures, DPH said.
In South Carolina, rabies occurs naturally among wildlife, particularly raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes, though any mammal can carry and spread the virus, according to DPH. The agency said residents should never handle or keep wild animals, which can carry rabies without showing symptoms for long periods. The virus spreads when an infected animal’s saliva or neural tissue enters the body through a bite, scratch, or contact with broken skin or mucous membranes.
“To reduce the risk of getting rabies, always give wild and stray animals their space,” said Terri McCollister, DPH’s Rabies Program manager. “If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it and contact someone trained in handling animals such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control operator or a wildlife rehabilitator.”
Between 2019 and 2025, the South Carolina Public Health Laboratory confirmed 760 rabies-positive animals, 90% of them wild and 10% domestic, including 64 cats, seven dogs and 12 livestock animals, according to DPH. State law requires owners to keep dogs, cats and ferrets current on rabies vaccinations.
DPH said it investigates more than 14,000 potential rabies exposures each year, coordinates testing, advises medical providers on post-exposure treatment and partners with veterinarians on low-cost vaccination clinics.
“Vaccinating your animals is the easiest and most effective way you can protect yourself, your family and pets from this fatal but preventable disease,” McCollister said.
DPH asks anyone bitten or exposed to an animal’s saliva to call its 24-hour rabies reporting line at (888) 847-0902, option 2. Medical providers can also use the line to consult with DPH physicians about potential exposures.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Public Health.
