The Department of Health and Environmental Control says a Williamsburg County woman is under the care of a doctor after a stray cat that attacked her tested positive for rabies.
Officials say the cat attacked the woman in her yard in the Cades community.
Once the rabies virus reaches the brain, the disease is fatal to humans and animals, so the woman is receiving preventive treatment.
Officials say the rule is: avoid wild animals acting tame, and tame animals acting wild.
About 400 South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies every year, with most exposures from being bitten or scratched by a rabid or suspected rabid animal. Wild animals carry the disease most often, but domestic pets can contract rabies as well.
"Therefore, to protect both the pets and their owners, we strongly encourage residents to make sure their pets are regularly vaccinated against the disease. State law requires that all pets be vaccinated against rabies.
DHEC says if you think you have been exposed to the rabies virus through a bite, scratch or the saliva of a possibly infected animal, immediately wash the affected area with plenty of soap and water. Then be sure to get medical attention and report the incident to DHEC.
This is the second confirmed rabid animal in Williamsburg County in 2009.
Last year, there were no rabid animals confirmed in the county.
In 2008, there were 166 confirmed cases of rabies in animals in South Carolina.
So far this year, there have been 105 confirmed cases in animals in the state.
For more information about rabies, see DHEC's Web page at: http://www.scdhec.gov/rabies or contact DHEC's Williamsburg County Environmental Health office at (843) 355-9378.
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web page about rabies can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies.
