(Spirit Lake)– Officials with the Dickinson County Fair and the state and local Departments of Public Health say a skunk found in a cattle barn at the fair that tested positive for rabies never posed a public health threat.
Karen Byers of the Dickinson County ISU Extension Service tells KUOO news the incident happened Sunday evening when some adults and youth discovered the skunk near a cow in the barn. Byers says the adults managed to kill the skunk. She says the fair’s veterinarian, Dr. Tom Carr, was immediately notified and arrived on the scene a short time later. He then transported the skunk to the state veterinary lab in Ames. She says test results came back Monday morning positive for rabies.
Byers says the cow, which had some spots of blood on its nose, was immediately removed from the barn and put into isolation following the incident. She says the area was cordoned off while workers used bleach to disinfect the area and the implements used to kill the skunk.
Byers says the source of the blood found on the cow isn’t known, and that it isn’t known for sure whether the cow was actually bitten by the skunk.
Byers adds that Public Health and officials with the Centers for Disease Control were immediately notified. She says they determined soon after that there was no public health danger whatsoever, as it was deemed as being an isolated incident. She says they also determined there was no danger to any of the other animals at the fair. Byers adds families that had animals in the same barn as where the skunk was found were provided with special information.
As far as the cow is concerned, Byers says the options are somewhat limited. She says if the owner decides to keep it, it would have to be quarantined for atleast eight months. Short of putting it down, she says the only other option would be to possibly enroll it in a special rabies research project ISU is conducting. But it would have to undergo a series of expensive vaccinations if that would be the case.
Byers says the incident should serve as a wake-up call. She says all Dickinson county residents, including those living in towns, need to be aware that rabies is actually present in the county. She says those with pets, horses and other animals need to make sure their rabies vaccinations are up to date.
